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Chapter Text

Frisk looks down at a battered flower. The flower was waiting to be hit. To be killed by Frisk.

This flower was none other than Flowey.

"I won't do it." Frisk muttered, despite how much she had died over and over again by Flowey, she refused to do the same to him.

Flowey's look changed to one of shock, and then anger. "What do mean you won't do it?! Don't you know that will get you killed?"

Some of his tattered and torn vines started to move slowly in a way that resembled a human clenching their fists.

Frisk shook her head and smiled. "I don't like to kill anyone."

In fact, Frisk never killed a single monster in the Underground. The thought of killing another monster really troubles her.

"Consider this your MERCY from me." Frisk did a little curtsy in a polite manner.

"Idiot human," Flowey muttered under his breath. He paused. "...You really aren't going to kill me?"

"I have no desire to." Frisk smiled, not being offended by the name calling. "I do hope you have learned from this. In fact, I have forgiven you for everything you've done."

"I just can't understand..." Why did his face feel wet all of a sudden? (No SOUL. I shouldn't be able to feel sadness. So it must be something else.)

"You don't need to." Frisk replied. "But you will know eventually." She turned her back. "I'll let you go. I'm sparing you."

She confidently walked on ahead towards the barrier door. Her feet stopped at the edge of it. She looked sadly towards the dust on the ground. It had a king-like attire scattered on the ground. As she looked ahead, she sees two words.

CONTINUE.

RESET.

(Reset? I can do that?) Frisk blinked. She could bring back Asgore! The Underground would be mourning for their King. A flicker of hope shone in Frisk's eyes as her hand goes towards RESET.

Flowey could see what she was doing. He could always see those things, but he could never touch them due to Frisk's determination being so much stronger than his own.

(She spared me. The battle is over.) He tried to remind himself of this. But he had a burning feeling inside. If Frisk RESET, it would happen all over again.

(No...)

He extended his vines to tower over Frisk from behind, causing a threatening shadow to form in front of her. An eerie smile spread across Flowey's face.

(I will show her what happens to those who offer MERCY.)

His vines quickly got a tight grip around her neck before Frisk could process what was going on.

(In this world...it's still kill or be killed.)

Frisk felt a pain spread through her neck. She couldn't breathe. All she felt was a force of wind. Quickly, she realized she was thrown outside the barrier.

A force of wind stung Frisk's body. She realizes that she is falling.

Her eyes are in panic. But it was too late. She felt a horrible pain smash the back of her head. Her vision fades to black.

...

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

A steady sound makes Frisk's eyes slowly open. It was a bit hard to do so. She struggled a little bit as the light was sensitive to her vision. She hears voices murmuring in the background. When she had finally gotten out of her drowsiness, she noticed her arm had IVs attached to it.

(Where....) Frisk's mind was fuzzy. She noticed she looks a bit thinner. Her hair is so much longer than she remembered. It went past her belly. She felt alarmed with nurses getting frantic.

"She's awake!" The nurse exclaimed.

An hour has passed. The doctor took some time for Frisk to adjust to where she's at.

In a hospital.

"Do you know your name?" The doctor had pen and paper out.

"It's Frisk. Why am I-"

"Age?"

"17." Frisk blinked in confusion.

"Miss Frisk." The doctor adjusted his glasses. "Unfortunately, you have been in a coma for 7 years. You were found outside of Mt. Ebott. Why were you there?"

Frisk thought really long and hard. She couldn't remember. She's also a bit shocked that she is 24 years old now! Her eyebrows furrowed. "I have no idea. I'm sorry."

The doctor put on a reassuring smile. "It's alright. You were hit hard on the back of your skull. Memory loss is normal. But only temporary."

Frisk stayed in the hospital for a while. She had to do rehab to get strength in her legs again. Get nutrition to have herself at a healthy weight. Her hair? She decided to keep it long, but was able to get some bangs.

As time has passed and she was healthy again, she always felt an ache in her heart for unknown reasons.

And then...

She remembered everything. Memories flashed before her eyes with her time in the Underground. The monsters she had met and befriended. Her fight with Flowey.

And Asgore.

(I need to RESET!) Frisk thought. But to her dismay, she doesn't have her powers like she did in the Underground. How mysterious is that? Perhaps she can ONLY RESET underground.

The fact she was found outside of the barrier is troubling. She couldn't remember how she was thrown out like that.

(It doesn't matter. I have to go back!) Frisk gets dressed and rushes out of the hospital. She ignores any nurses and doctors trying to stop her. As she is outside, she looks around frantically.

Mt. Ebott was a little of a walk, but Frisk was determined to sprint over there. She was full of energy from eating a balanced meal earlier.

...

As Frisk finds herself to a familiar hole on Mt. Ebott, she takes no hesitation and jumps in.

Luckily, the pile of flowers was still there. It broke her fall. Frisk tries to summon the power of RESET.

But...

It wasn't working.

(Why isn't it-) Frisk's thoughts were interrupted by her surroundings. The Underground looked dark and eerie. It was very unsettling.

"Hello?" Frisk called out. She was a little anxious. Knowing that so much time has passed, there was bound to be some differences.

Not this kind of difference though.

As Frisk wanders through the ruins, there was dust scattered everywhere.

(What has happened here?!)

She heard some sounds. As if...

Someone was following her.

Frisk spun to look behind her. There wasn't anyone there. (Get a grip, Frisk. Stay determined.)

As she turns around, she noticed someone inches from her face. It was a male, around her age. One eye was red while the other one was eerily black. It was oozing. The red eye gleamed as it's a threat. The male had a tattered, green hoodie. With dust and blood smeared onto it. He laughs in a creepy way that made Frisk step back a bit.

"Who are you?!" Frisk demanded.

"Greetings. I am Chara." Chara's mouth twisted as he licked his knife that made Frisk cringe. He steps forward towards her. His movements are a bit creepy. "My, my, aren't you a pretty mirror?"

Frisk shuddered. She felt that he is definitely not someone good. "What have you done?" She asked in an accusing tone.

Chara laughed in a crazy way. "Why don't you find out?!" He lunged straight to her and Frisk barely gotten to dodge. She started running for her life. Hoping to find a SAVE somewhere. But there wasn't any to be found.

"Aw! Come back!" Chara yelled out. "I want to have your beautiful blood on me!"

Frisk continues running, but Chara keeps appearing in front of her.

"I do like this." Chara's smile twisted. "It's a thrill to chase you down like this!"

He slashes towards Frisk but she was able to dodge in time. "Come on, dear. I need your LOVE!"

Frisk heard his insane laughter coming up closer from behind her. She wasn't watching where she was going.

BUMP!

"Ah!" Frisk stumbled back to see who or what she bumped into. It was a familiar hooded figure. With familiar shorts and slippers. It was...

"Sans! There's danger!" Frisk yelped. But Sans wasn't turning around just yet. His back was still turned....

Sans started to mutter something with his back turned. "You're right, Papyrus." His voice was chilling. "I DO hear the sound of an easy kill."

He turned around slowly and summoned a bone that floated next to him. "How thrilling. The human is back. Let's show her what she missed while she was away."

"Sans?!" Frisk flinched and starts to back away a little bit. She had never seen Sans had any power before. She always thought he was just a lazy, humorous skeleton. She started to nervously laugh. "Is this another joke? It's actually not funny this time!"

"A joke?" Sans took a step forward. "I'm not sure if I would call it that. It's all pretty hilarious to me."

"What?!" Frisk exclaimed as she felt an aggressive bone lash towards her. It was inches from hitting her face. The look of dread came over her.

"Hey, sweetie." There was creeping footsteps behind Frisk.

Frisk saw that it was Chara. He raised his knife. She studied both of their stats.

LV 30

Sans was also that high!

Why?!

Sans had told her what LV was in the past from EXP from kills. When he judged her, he was impressed that she didn't have any LV at all.

"Joker, I believe she is MINE." Chara raised his knife to attack Frisk.

Sans growled in frustration. "She ran right into me. She's MINE." Sans used an attack to push Chara out of the way.

As Sans and Chara keep fighting for the kill of Frisk, Frisk keeps dodging. Then she falls onto the ground after taking some hits from their attacks. Not enough to fatally wound her, but enough for her to bleed.

(7 years.... And it has turned into this?!) Frisk cried in her head. She looks up at Sans, feeling terrible to how he's acting. How he's ALSO hurting her.

"We're friends!" Frisk cried out. "Why are you treating me like an enemy?! I gave you all mercy! I don't want to fight!"

"Friends?" Sans asked with disgust. "Shut up already!" He made a bone come out of the ground and hit her arm. It wasn't enough to kill her. He didn't want her dead yet. He wanted to take her somewhere else so he could torture her first. A quick death would be so boring to him. If only Chara wasn't getting in the way.

Frisk cried in pain. Not only did the pain in her arm hurt, but her heart ached from Sans's words.

(Does... He hate me now...?) Frisk looked up with sad eyes, only to see Chara roughly grabbing her chin.

"Now, Sans. That's not how you talk to a lady." Chara's smile looked insane. "I must thank you for weakening her. But like always." His face gotten more distorted and having a mocking expression as he summons a bountiful of knives around Frisk. "I AM ALWAYS A STEP AHEAD OF YOU!"

"No!" Frisk pleaded. "Don't! Please!! Stop it!"

...

Nearby, there was a group travelling together. Ralsei heard something in the distance. "Did you both hear that?" He asked Noelle and Kris. "It sounds like someone is fighting up ahead!"

"Let's get ready." Kris readies her weapon. Despite being blind, her hearing and senses have peaked to make her adjusted to it. She tightened the bandage around her eyes. "Noelle. Ralsei. Positions."

Ralsei and Noelle readied themselves as the three of them gotten near Frisk, Chara and Sans.

Kris listened carefully and jumped into stealthy position. She grabbed Frisk nimbly making Chara's face look angry.

"You again!" Chara cursed as he goes to lash out towards the both of them.

But a barrier gets formed around Kris and Frisk from Noelle holding it up from the distance. Protecting her and others around her.

Frisk looked towards Sans, in a confused and hurt expression.

Sans just glared at her. (I will get you next time. And for this, your punishment will be more severe.) An eerie smile crept onto his face with that thought. (No one can run forever.)

Ralsei looked over at Kris and Frisk. "Kris, do you want me to heal her?"

Kris keeps Frisk steady against her. "We should escape first."

"But-!" Frisk kept looking at Sans.

All of them ran away with Noelle keeping a barrier around them. Frisk just sees Sans and Chara giving her creepy expressions from the distance. If they could teleport inside the barrier, they would. But Noelle's power prevents that.

Frisk was trying to say something but she fainted.

As Frisk escaped with everyone, Chara looked towards Sans in a mocking way. "I WILL be the one to get all the LOVE." He started to laugh in a spine-chilling way. "All your efforts will be wasted. But this is fun to SEE YOU KILL EVERYONE."

It took all of Sans's effort to keep from starting another fight. Their LV was the same. Neither one of them would be able to kill each other. He glared at Chara. "Are you done?"

"Nope. I just love to see you SUFFER." Chara left as he laughed maniacally as he teleported away. Leaving Sans with the echo of Chara's laughter.

...

There was a glimmer and comforting feeling Frisk felt as she was stirring in her unconscious state. Her wounds... were feeling a bit... better?

"Oh good, you're awake!" Ralsei had been sitting by her to make sure she was alright. He still had a look of concern though. "You were out for a while. Do you feel alright? I think I healed you all the way but...I'm not sure." He fumbled with his paws.

Frisk looked around at her surroundings. It seemed like a rundown cottage. Noelle was in the corner, concentrating with her eyes closed.

There was a hint of a scent of dust in the air.

Frisk remembered Sans. "I need to go-!"

Kris gently grabbed ahold of her. "Don't be a fool. It's suicide out there."

Frisk looked down. She's right. Sans tried to hurt her. Possibly kill her. "I'm sorry... I'm not thinking straight. But... I never seen you all in the Underground." She looks at everyone. "Who are you all?"

"My name is Ralsei!" Ralsei chimed.

"Kris." The blindfolded girl stated. "That's Noelle. But, she's not being rude. She just needs to concentrate to keep us all safe."

Frisk noticed Noelle's clothes were white, but ragged and dirty. She had bags underneath her eyes. Like she was tired. Ralsei, with his one eye was bandaged up. Indicating that it was missing. He also had bandages on other parts of his body.

"Can you... Tell me what is going on here?" Frisk looked down. "I have been gone... For... Awhile."

"Well..." Ralsei started nervously. "We don't know everything. There was an extra dark fountain in our world causing an imbalance. Some monsters...they went insane. I guess I was pretty lucky." He had a sad smile.

"But, um...then Kris came along!" His cheeks got a little pink. "And Noelle too!"

Ralsei shuddered as the memories came back. Some of them...not so pleasant.

FLASHBACK

Ralsei's eyes opened slowly. (I'm alive...?) The last thing he remembered was what happened with the Chaos King. His eye getting ripped out. Getting hurt in all sorts of other horrible ways. He sat up and put a hand up to his face. Strangely enough, there was a bandage over his missing eye. He also noticed bandages in other places, and his cloak had been sewn up where he had been stabbed.

He couldn't help but wonder who saved him and brought him back to his home. And why did they leave?

He stayed there in that town after that. It felt like all hope was lost. Was anyone really coming anyway? But then...

There was a blue skinned human girl, approaching with a purple monster. She was carrying a basket full of food and supplies. Her expression turned happy.

"I see that you're alright!" Kris smiled, approaching the goat monster, who seemed to have a little serious look and mistrust due to the trauma he went through.

He nodded silently with a small smile. When they met he was super quiet at first. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy Kris's company, but it was still hard for him to be comfortable talking to her. (I hope she doesn't think I'm being rude...)

"That was rough, but we managed to get you out alive." Kris looked towards Susie. She has been quiet for a while. The silence was bothering Kris, but she understood they were that way. It probably was a few days since it had happened.

"Everything is alright now." Kris reassured. "Susie's not our enemy anymore. Right, Susie?"

Susie looked away. "Right," she mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was so disturbing what they had witnessed the king do. Not surprisingly, it had a lasting impact on even Susie. Kris too, but she was better at hiding it.

"I know you two are nice." Ralsei forced a smile. "I'm just..." He sighed. He couldn't find the right words to explain it. "N-never mind."

"It's alright." Kris replied in a genuine tone. Her hands were also trembling a little bit, but she tried to force herself to be strong. "You've been through a lot. I mean, we did our best to treat you." She had a hard time looking at his face since he had lost his eye.

Ralsei noticed how her eyes kept darting to the side. It made him feel more uncomfortable. "Thank you. I know you did your best. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for you two, so...I guess I shouldn't be complaining. Not when I have such good friends."

"Does it hurt?" Kris asked in her own way about Ralsei's injuries.

"A little," Ralsei admitted. His physical wounds did hurt. A lot, actually. It was his mental health that was really hurt though. He would definitely never be the same after that.

...

Frisk asked Ralsei what happened next. Their faces darkened and gotten troubled. Noelle bit her lip to try not to cry.

...

More fountains kept appearing throughout their world. Innocent monsters kept getting killed by rapid monsters effected by the fountain. Like it was a disease being spread.

Kris, Ralsei and Susie were fighting off enemies. The Chaos King was there. He had Lancer in a death grip. He smiled a distorted expression and ripped his own son's head off, making everyone scream in shock.

"That's what you get for disobeying me." The King felt a bit stronger. As LOVE started to feed his SOUL. He tossed Lancer's body onto the ground.

Susie was in shock. To everyone else's surprise, she started to cry. It was the first time they had seen her cry. She was shaking, feeling like the world was spinning. And she was filled with a burning, blinding anger. "YOU'LL REGRET DOING THAT!"

She ran forward with her ax in hand, swinging it at the King.

The King wasn't intimidated. He killed monsters around him. He grew stronger. He quickly dodged Susie and laughed at her failed attempt.

"Die."

Kris and Ralsei tried running to help Susie. It was too late. A shocked expression was on her face.

There was a chain embedded into her chest with spades stabbed into her throat.

Susie managed to hold on a little longer, struggling in vain with a pained expression. It was no use. She stumbled as she started to weaken. Unable to fall due to the chain, she went still as she drew her final breath.

Ralsei felt sick seeing her die like that. He walked over to Kris and instead of hugging her just kind of walked into her arms, putting his head on her shoulder. He started to cry out of fear and grief. Normally, he would be too shy to do that, but he wasn't thinking in the moment.

Kris held onto Ralsei and glared at the King. There was a bountiful of tears coming out of her eyes.

"You're next." The King was readying an attack.

FLASH.

A fountain sprouted up beneath him. He disappeared into it.

Relief, confusion and mourning was all what they were feeling. They went near towards Susie and Lancer. Took their time to mourn for them.

"Susie... she was..." Kris was shaking. "Part of the prophecy."

The place started to shake as if it knew. It felt like the distortion was getting stronger.

"We can't fix it now..." Ralsei said while still crying. "Was all of this...for nothing then?" He started to tremble. "I don't want to watch this world be destroyed...they didn't deserve this."

Then he had another thought. Susie wasn't just part of some prophecy. She was their friend. A friend that he wished he knew a little better. Would everyone in their world die too? Or would they fall into insanity?

Kris felt the despair of it all. Everything seems hopeless.

Ralsei's her only friend left here. A lot of monsters are dying, disappearing and being killed.

Both of them seem vulnerable from their emotions as a crazed, deformed monster goes to attack Kris. She was caught off guard.

There was a severe pain in her eyes. It slashed her senses. She had lost her vision. Everything went black as her eyes started to ooze of blood. She screamed, squeezing them shut. The monster goes to attack her again.

"No!" Ralsei cried. He knew what had to be done, even if he didn't like it. He attacked the monster to get it away from Kris. "Stop! Leave her alone!"

The monster kept inching closer, but it gotten pummeled by Ralsei's attacks. It disappeared into dust.

Kris had her hands buried in her face. She was breathing hard and trembling in pain. It was the most severe pain she ever felt in her life. Both of her eyes had deep cuts in them. She couldn't even cry with how bad it hurt.

Ralsei immediately used his powers to heal her. He needed to bandage it, but he didn't know where any were. Maybe if he scouts around, he'll find something? But he didn't know if her eyes were permanently damaged...

"Kris...can you see?"

The pain had subsided. But everything was still dark.

"I...I..." Kris started to stammer.

Her voice is full of panic. Usually, she's so strong. She's supposed to be the leader. Yet, here, she's pathetic and lost her eyesight. Lost her two friends. She's afraid Ralsei can't handle her like this. She started to tremble. "I'm sorry. I can't...!" She can't really put out anymore words. How can she protect anyone now? How can she be strong for Ralsei?

Ralsei grabbed her hand and had a sad smile. He knew that she couldn't see it, but he hoped that she could hear it in his voice. That she could feel it in her heart. "I know I'm not resilient like you, but you won't be alone. I...I want to help you. Is it ok if I carry you until I find some bandages? Do you think that would help?"

"I'm ok." Kris lied. "I... I can do this." She kept repeating herself and is stubborn to get help.

Kris tried to make her way around, but she ended up tripping over Susie's body. She was about to hit the ground. Ralsei caught her.

He found it hard to look at Susie's body. It was disturbing to him that Kris had tripped over her. He had to try to keep from crying again. (How is Susie's body still here anyway? It doesn't make any sense...)

He decided not to dwell on his questions. Right now, Kris was struggling. "Kris..." There was sadness in his voice. "Please, let me help you. I don't want you to get hurt more..."

"But, I can do this! I have to-" Kris tried to argue back, but it seems Ralsei wasn't taking no for an answer this time.

Ralsei sighed. "I know you can. You will figure it out. Just...take it easy for now. I want to help YOU now!"

(We don't know how long until we have to face someone again. We don't even know what's next,) he thought. (We don't know...if we will last another day...I want to do this for her.)

Kris swallowed any inch of pride she had left. She knows she can't do this alone. She's honestly putting on a tough act.

She's afraid. Not being able to see is terrifying for her.

"Alright." Kris tried to hide the fear in her voice. It didn't do so well. "I'll listen."

Ralsei wished there was more he could do. He lifted her up. (I wish I knew how to make her less scared.)

He ended up finding some bandages. They weren't extremely sticky. Only on the ends. He sat Kris down. "Found them! I will bandage it up now." He started to wrap the bandages around her head gently. He felt a little flustered from doing so. "Is that ok?" He asked once he was done.

"I can't really tell." Kris sighed. "But it feels alright. Thank you."

As some time passed, the distortion gotten worse. At one point, where Kris and Ralsei were sleeping in a shelter together, Kris would wake up to shaking. She started to freak out again. She hasn't gotten used to the fact that she is blind now. She had many awakenings like this.

So helpless.

"Ralsei?" Kris's voice cracked.

No answer.

"Ralsei?! Are you there?!" Her voice gotten louder and more terrified, waking up Ralsei.

"I'm here." Ralsei touched her shoulder as an extra measure to make sure she knew.

Kris reached out her hands and started to touch Ralsei's face to make sure it's him.

Ralsei's face turned a little pink at that. "It's just me. Did you have a bad dream?"

"No... I just... Can't get used to this." Kris started to feel his face more. Her fingers go along the rims of his glasses. Then her hand makes her way to pet his ears. She started to blush too. "I can't see you, but... I can feel you like I can see you.."

She started to pull away to stop. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I-"

Before she could finish, Ralsei grabbed her hand and pressed it against his own ear. He immediately felt embarrassed. "N-no, it's fine. I, um...actually liked it. You can do whatever you want that makes you feel better."

"Ralsei." Kris starts to go closer to him to feel his fur against her cheek. "Will you always be by my side?"

There was another tremor shaking from outside.

Ralsei was startled by what was outside, and he held onto Kris with his fear. His blush got deeper. "I want to. Is...is that ok? Do you want to be by my side too?"

"Yes." Kris held onto him closely. Trying to envision him more just but her touch. "I need you." Her blush gotten deeper. She felt Ralsei's SOUL pounding due to her other senses being heightened.

"I need you too," he said. The closeness allowed him to be less scared of what was going on. He felt so alive in a way he had never felt before.

(Is this what love feels like?)

"Kris..." He started. "That feeling. Do you feel it too? It feels like I'm...happy and nervous at the same time. It's a different kind of happy though, that I only feel when I'm around you."

Kris started to blush more. "I feel the same way. You... Don't mind that I can't see you?" She gently caressed the side of his cheek.

Another tremor was felt throughout the floor. Kris didn't flinch but placed her forehead against his. His fur felt nice and soft. She could be shy, but with everything going on, this is her only way she can look at him.

She continued. "I... Won't be a burden, will I? I'm used to protecting you, but I admit that I'm not able to now."

"You will never be a burden!" Ralsei exclaimed. "You mean more to me than just protection! I like you because of your personality! And I don't mind that you can't see me." He tried to ignore the quake. "I-I just want...you."

Chapter Text

Kris's blindfold started to feel a little wet. Due to her tears and how happy she felt from that statement. Both of them lost so much already. All they had was each other.

"I'm glad." Kris smiled. "I have always liked your kindness. Your compassion for others. For... Me." She felt his face a bit more to get an idea where his eyes are at.

She lifted her head to make it seem eye level. "If only I can see your eyes, I'd look at them." She shyly said.

Ralsei gently touched the bandages where one of his eyes was missing, and he felt himself start to cry too. "That would be nice...but I'm happy like this too. As long as you're with me, I know I can be happy."

"Yes..." Kris nodded, biting her lip due to her being flustered and happy. "Ralsei..." She noticed the feeling of his tears on her hand. "I will always cherish you."

"I will always cherish you too." Ralsei smiled and put a hand on one of hers.

Their faces were so close. He started to get nervous but pushed it away. He really wanted to...kiss her. He leaned forward.

Their mouths touched. Kris didn't flinch or anything. She kissed him back and rubbed the back of his head. Feeling his nice, soft fur. Her heart was fluttering along with his SOUL.

Ralsei backed up with his flustered state. "That was nice." He smiled.

(A few months later, we had ran into Noelle.) Kris continued telling the story to Frisk.

There was a lot of fountains sprawling out of control. There was a deer girl, dressed in an elegant, white dress. Her barrier magic wasn't as strong but it was enough to protect herself.

Ralsei was carrying Kris while this was happening. They made their way over there with Ralsei sprinting. Dodging anything that came his way.

"Ralsei." Kris clung onto him. "What's going on??"

"There are a lot of fountains here!" Ralsei said in a panic. "And a girl that I don't recognize!"

They finally reached where she was at. "Hello?" Ralsei asked cautiously. She definitely looked normal, but he could never really tell. She could be dangerous.

"Wah!" The girl flailed in surprise. She cautiously turned around. She noticed someone... Familiar.

"Kris?"

Kris recognized the voice. "Noelle?"

"Oh my stars, you're here too?" Noelle was going to continue but there was a tremor again. "Never mind. Come over here. I can protect you both... ah..." She didn't know the goat boy's name.

Ralsei relaxed a bit since Kris knew her. "I'm Ralsei. But...we should probably not spend too much time with introductions."

Noelle formed a barrier around the three of them. That's when it all happened.

There was so much discord that it warped their world along with the Underground. It was confusing at first for Ralsei and Noelle. Kris couldn't really tell with everything that had happened.

There was a lot of monster dust scattered everywhere. They had no idea where they were at.

They see Chara, killing the Chaos King with a creepy look on his face. Sans, also was killing monsters.

The first 4 years was rough. Ralsei was determined to keep everyone alive. He would heal a lot. Noelle had her barriers. Kris had adjusted to her senses by feeling and hearing. She's able to wield a bow and arrow now. But it's makeshift with her own type of magic. Probably because she's a Lightner.

...

"We've been here probably for 7 years... It's hard to tell." Kris concluded. "We survived this long."

"We tried to protect as many humans that fell down here." Noelle continued. "But..."

"It didn't always work out," Ralsei finished sadly. He composed himself and put on a smile. "You're here though, and we will help you in any way we can!"

"How were you able to survive this long?" Frisk questioned. She feels a heavy sorrow hearing the full story.

Another world?

There must be a lot of imbalance in this one...

"Ralsei's and Noelle's powers strengthened over the years." Kris started. "I don't think Chara and Sans would target us since we're a wasted effort. As long as we're together."

"Have you tried leaving?" Frisk looked down.

"We can't... Even with Kris's SOUL. The barrier is gone." Noelle sighed.

"People can come through, but not come out." Kris frowned.

Frisk stayed quiet for a bit. Seeing Sans like that...

The fact he has been killing for so long. Like it's an ongoing war of genocide.

"I... can't just sit here and stay hiding..." Frisk clenched her fists.

"But...they'll kill you!" Ralsei said. He had a worried expression. "They're super dangerous." He didn't want another human to fall prey to those two. It was always hard.

"I agree." Kris nodded. "It would be ignorant of you to leave us."

"But I KNOW Sans!" Frisk stood up. "He... could be confused! He'll... be in danger. I..."

"You shouldn't put yourself in danger." Ralsei continued. "It's nice of you to want to help him, but...when a monster goes insane, we don't know if there's a cure. I've never seen one...they always..." He trailed off and shook away the thought. "Never mind. The point is, we don't want you to get hurt again."

"Seen what?" Frisk asked. "I believe that once a good person, always a good person. I know I can reach him!"

"7 years! Think about it!" Kris argued. "If he hasn't changed then, he won't ever!"

"We also couldn't kill them either." Noelle shook her head. Her tone was a struggling whisper due to her concentration. "They're too strong."

"I don't want Sans to die!" Frisk disagreed. "Or anyone else!"

Ralsei had a sad look. Arguments always put him on edge. Plus, he really didn't want Frisk to die. She wouldn't listen to reason! "Please stay here..." he said sadly. "No more innocent people have to die."

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Frisk started to head out and looked back. "Thank you all for helping me. I don't fear death for I beaten it many times."

There was a look of determination on her face.

"No! If we stick together, we can-" Kris tried to say something.

"No." Frisk replied. "I will fix this. I came back to fix things, but they're far more worse than I imagined."

Her words confused them, but Frisk already ran off. Kris felt Frisk's movements.

"Wait!-"

Noelle felt a weird sensation and heaved heavily. "Agh!"

Ralsei turned to Noelle when he heard that. "Noelle? What's wro-" He stopped talking when he felt the sensation too. He took in a sharp breath through clenched teeth. "That's weird..."

"Ralsei? Noelle?" Kris heard their tones. She puts her hands on Ralsei's face. "Are you alright?!"

"I can't..." Noelle dropped the barrier. "My... Magic's weak."

Ralsei swayed due to feeling weak from the sudden lack of magic. He grabbed Kris's hand to let her know that he was alright. "What...should we do?"

"Continue sticking together. I'll protect you-" Kris tried to summon her arrows, but her magic's weak too. She placed her hand onto the side of her waist. Her sword. She hasn't used it for a long time. She unsheathes it.

"I will stay on guard." She stayed alert. "You two should rest."

(So we're finally reaching our limits... huh?)

"But aren't you tired too?" Ralsei asked. He was starting to struggle to stay awake. "Maybe I can-" They heard a thump as he fell asleep on the spot.

"Ah!" Kris bends down to where Ralsei's at. She's exhausted too, but she lifted Ralsei's head up and set it on her lap. As she pets him, he was sound asleep. (Sheesh, he scared me.)

"Are you sure?" Noelle asked.

"Rest. You guys do way more than me." Kris reassured. "I'm not half as tired as you two are."

Noelle felt worried, but she felt herself slumbering too.

...

Frisk felt bad for leaving those three behind. They did save her life, but.... As long as Frisk could find a SAVE or RESET, everything would be alright.

Her surrounds were so grim. The Underground seemed more distorted and a tad unfamiliar. Based on the fact that Kris's universe merged through here too.

She had her guard up and continued looking for Sans.

Nearby, Sans was walking around looking for more monsters to kill. More LV means more of a chance of getting enough power to finally kill Chara. That was his end goal, along with wiping out the underground of course.

If only Frisk didn’t get away from his hands. She was a worthy amount of EXP.

"Sans!" There was a familiar voice.

"Perfect," Sans whispered as he smiled. He turned around and saw Frisk. "Perfect timing. I was just looking for someone to kill."

"Kill?" Frisk asked. But then brushed it off. She slowly walked forward and put on a benevolent expression. "Are you alright? Did Chara hurt you from earlier?"

"That poor excuse for a person?" Sans scoffed. "I will be much stronger than him soon, starting with this kill!" He aimed a bone attack for her shoulder.

"Ah!" Frisk tries to defend herself, but she barely was able to dodge it. The bone did scrape her shoulder a little bit. "Sans, stop this! This... isn't like you! You must be confused!"

"I know exactly what I want." Sans summoned more attacks and was quicker this time. He had gone too easy on her with that first one.

Frisk felt a bone impale onto her left leg. It caused her to scream and fall down. She was bleeding. She couldn't dodge in time.

(It's alright...) Frisk recalled her fight with Flowey. (I don't treat this any differently than what Flowey's done to me. I can take it.)

"Please, stop this-" Frisk tried to speak.

He didn't give her a chance to speak before another bone went towards her and impaled one of her arms too. Sans just laughed at her agony with no sympathy at all.

Frisk screamed in distress. She looked up at Sans. She tried to move, but the bones were causing pain to radiate throughout her body. She was about to say something again, but notices that he's talking to someone?

Not there?

"I will, Papyrus. Don't worry." To Frisk, he seemed crazy. But to Sans, Papyrus was there. He turned to Frisk again and summoned a large bone right over her back. She surely wouldn't be able to survive that. Or at least, she shouldn't. "I'll kill her right now. I won’t let her get away this time."

(Did he say Papyr-)

SPLURGE

Blood scattered onto Sans's face. The pain was too intense. Frisk's back was stabbed with the bone that came out from her chest.

(I can't die here...)

Frisk felt herself fading.

(I don't have any answers...)

Frisk's breathing became slower.

(I didn't come back just to have it all end!)

Frisk's face struggled with a mixture of pain and determination.

RESET.

It was starting to flicker in front of her eyes.

Sans's eyes widened. If she RESETs, everything would be pointless. He would have to do everything all over again. He got angry that he couldn't let her die. Something else had to be done instead. A different approach.

...

It was quiet. Kris kept trying to stay awake. She kept hearing Ralsei talk in his sleep. She couldn't help herself but to kiss his nose. His voice is just so cute that it made her problems just disappear.

(Don't worry, my love. I'll protect you like you had with me all these years...)
Suddenly, the world mysteriously warped. Ralsei felt that something was wrong and was woken up from his sleep. Kris and Noelle were nowhere to be seen. "Kris?! Noelle?!" He stood up. "W-where are you? Can you hear me?"

Kris felt Ralsei not on her lap anymore. "Ralsei?"

Sure, her senses are heightened, but not being able to feel Ralsei anywhere puts her in a panic.

They've always been together all these years. Ralsei's never left her side. Until now.

She did feel something off, like a world shift. She couldn't feel Noelle anywhere either. Her surroundings are different. The ground makes a different sound compared to that old cottage.

(I've been warped somewhere else.)

She sniffed with her nose to be able to tell what area it was. Smells like somewhere with water. She knew better not to call out to anyone. Who knows if Chara or Sans is around.

Kris carefully walked, keeping her guard up. Hoping to recognize Ralsei's or Noelle's foot patterns.

Ralsei heard footsteps and quickened his pace, hoping to see Kris or Noelle ahead. With not having his powers, he wouldn't be able to heal anyone if they got hurt. They needed to get back together soon so he could make sure they were safe. Or as safe as could be given the circumstances they were under.

He walked out to a clearing and spotted Kris. "Kris!" He called out.

Kris nimbly and quietly went towards Ralsei's voice. She's so relieved to find him. She gets emotional and started to silently cry.

"I'm so glad..." She sniffled. "I was worried..."

Ralsei took her hand in his. "I was too. Now that we're together, it's alright." He was able to keep from crying. "Do you know where Noelle is?"

"No.." Kris frowned. "We need to be careful and search for her."

She stepped a little closer to Ralsei and hugged his arm like a helpless child. "So we don't get separated again..."

She felt a bit nervous. Noelle never was apart from them either. (I hope she's alright...)

"We will be ok, Kris!" Ralsei said. "I'm sure Noelle will be too. We've survived this long!" He had some doubt, but he pushed it down. (Maybe it will help for me to stay strong.)

...

Noelle stirred in her sleep. She realized she wasn't in the cottage anymore. Her anxiety rose up.

The area looks a bit strange. With dead trees mixed with trees from the Dark world. Some spots had snow on them. She shivered a little bit. Either because it was cold or the fact she was scared. Maybe both.

(I subtly feel like a disturbance brought me here. I can't feel Kris's nor Ralsei's presence anywhere...)

If she stayed there, she would be more at risk. The only way to keep going is to move forward.

It was a good half hour until she saw a figure up ahead. Noelle stayed a bit cautious and bit her tongue to try not to talk due to her survival instincts. She squinted and couldn't tell who the figure was. They were definitely a little taller than Chara. It definitely wasn't Sans either.

SNAP

Noelle jumped at the sound of her foot snapping a branch underneath it.

The figure's head perked up and they turned around. A smile spread across their face when they saw Noelle and they stepped forward, revealing a male goat monster with white fur and a rainbow scarf. He had insane red eyes and there was some blood on his scarf and jacket. There seemed to be dead yellow flower coming out from his body.

"Hello there!" His head tilted to the side at a seemingly impossible angle. "I knew one of you would show up, but I didn't expect someone like you! This will be even more fun now!"

Noelle gulped. (I never seen this person down here.)

She tried to summon a barrier, but little sparks came out of her hand that was behind her back. She inhaled and exhaled.

She slowly stepped back and tried not to stutter. "Er, hello! If you'll excuse me, I'm in a bit of a hurry..."

He reached forward and got a tight grip on her wrist. "You don't need to leave! If you really think about it, nothing matters at all! So why hurry to get away when it's useless anyway?"

"N-no! Please, let me go!" Noelle pleaded. "You don't need to do this!"

(Kris! Ralsei! I'm so scared!)

She felt utterly helpless in this situation.

"Oh?" Asriel used his free paw to tap his chin as though deep in thought. "But I actually do!"

Noelle kept getting tugged by him. She struggled to get away, but she was too weak.

"Well, well, well." Another voice is heard. There was that red eye glowing in the darkness. Out stepped Chara, with his knives. "Not only did I sense free EXP, there's two for a bargain. Isn't this a lovely reunion?!"

Chara's mouth twisted like a madman. "Asriel!”

Asriel's eyes widened but then he regained his composure with his usual creepy smile. He was aware that Chara was stronger than him. He couldn't back down from a fight though.

"It sure is. Funny that we should run into each other like this, huh?" Asriel tightened his grip on Noelle's wrist to make sure she couldn't get away.

Chara cackled as he summoned a huge number of knives. "I have a score to settle with a certain skeleton. It's a shame that I have to kill you now."

Noelle kept trying to struggle and her eyes started to water. She really was going to die!

A bunch of knives unleashed towards the two of them. Noelle squeezed her eyes shut. Asriel tried to dodge and quickly pulled her out of the way. He wanted to kill her himself for the EXP. He couldn't let Chara make another kill! In the process of dodging though, he got a cut on his shoulder.

He hissed in pain and put his paw against the cut. He could feel the blood on his paw. He gave Chara an angry look. (I'm not strong enough. I only have enough power to warp reality a little since I used it earlier. I can either attack him...) He looked at the area past Chara. (...or escape.)

Chara just kept laughing as he attacked. "What's wrong, 'Rei?' Don't you like this kind of roleplay?!"

He targeted Noelle for being an easy target. She screamed.

Asriel quickly caused the world to warp again. Chara disappeared from view. Asriel and Noelle showed up in a different area, and Asriel collapsed. (Stand up!) He yelled at himself in his head. (I need to kill her! Why can't I stand up?!)

Noelle felt like running away, but seeing him like that, she didn't. Technically he did protect her.

Well, she misunderstood that, that is.

She kneels down next to him and ripped the bottom part of her dress. "Ah, here." She hesitated, but started to treat his wound.

For a second, something flashed in Asriel's eyes. Something that looked innocent and scared. It was gone as suddenly as it appeared. "I don't need your help," he grumbled. "Why are you helping me anyway?! I'm just going to kill you! Not only are you weak, you're also dumb."

"I... Uh..." Noelle looked down, by reflex, she stopped. She stayed quiet for a bit. "But wouldn't you have killed me already? I mean, you could have easily done so earlier..."

"You shouldn't ask so many questions. You're going to make me even madder." He looked at his shoulder again. "Just because I asked you why doesn't mean you can stop! You might as well finish treating my shoulder..."

No way was he going to admit that he needed help. Or that it hurt.

Noelle's a little intimidated but she continued treating it. Her hands was delicate and caring, despite her being scared. She decided not to speak another word to not upset him further.

"Good." Asriel was still shaky from his lack of energy. He tried to stand but ended up falling back again with a frustrated look. "This isn't your invitation to run away. You still have to stay here."

Noelle felt a bit bad. But also...

"I'll stay..." She murmured. (So I can protect my friends also. I'm... a bit useless without my barrier magic anyway....)

"I know you will." Asriel smiled eerily. "You don't really have a choice. Even if you did leave, I would find you."

Noelle shuddered at the last statement. She started to regret helping him.

And also the fact that she isn't budging to run away.

...

Sans's conflicting emotions were hard to handle. Something drove him to kill her without mercy. But he knew that would accomplish nothing. Why couldn't he just do the smart thing? Why did he long so badly to see her bleed out that it made him unable to accomplish his goal?

(Just...let me...) His world seemed to go blank for a second. His own actions seemed unfamiliar to him. When he snapped out of it, Frisk was healed. (I did it?)

Frisk didn't feel any pain anymore. The parts she was hit at, there was just tears in her clothing. She held onto it.

The RESET.

It faded away as she was feeling fine again.

(It's gone... And....) Frisk looked at Sans. "Uh..."

She felt a bit confused and surprised to what just happened. But also, a little disappointed she couldn't reset. At least the pain's gone. "Thank you...?" Her tone was confused but also filled with a bit of gratitude.

Sans found it hard to look at her. Not because he felt bad, but because it was hard to resist killing her. Seeing her made his urge grow stronger. "Get up," he said angrily.

Frisk slowly gotten up. Clutching ahold of her torn clothes. She felt like a beggar living on the streets. "Sans...Why are you trying to kill me? Then you helped me? Why... are you doing all of this?"

Her lip started to quiver. She felt so hurt. Yeah, he ended up helping her afterwards. Not knowing the real reason behind it, she felt like Sans is confused. But she didn't know it was because the fact he CAN'T kill her.

"If you hadn't left all of us like this then none of this would have happened." Sans got that insane smile. "But it will all be alright soon. I just need to kill everyone in this terrible place. I only need a few more before I can get rid of Chara. Then I will be able to destroy everything."

Frisk felt a pang of guilt.

If she wouldn't have left.

Yet...

It wasn't her fault, but yet she feels like it is. After seeing Sans this way. But there's a lot she doesn't know or understand.

"But I'm here now." Frisk walks towards him. She reaches her hand out to touch his shoulder as a friendly gesture. "I'm sorry, that I was gone for so long... The reason why-"

Sans roughly pushed her. "Don't touch me! Don't even try anything! Why do you still try? Why can't you just accept that not everyone is nice?!"

Frisk fell down with an echoing thud. Her hip felt a strong pain. "I try because I care!" She looked up at him with tears. "You were and still are one of my best friends!"

"You've sure got a strange taste in friends then!" Sans went over to her and grabbed some of her hair roughly. "Friends? With me?" He laughed. "All my friends are DEAD. I can't wait until you are too."

Frisk yelped as her hair was being tugged. "Then what's stopping you from killing me?!" She snapped as the pain was a bit too much. Sans being so cruel to her like this really broke her heart in more ways than one.

"I have my reasons!" Sans snapped back. "If not, you would be dead where you stand!"

Frisk gotten thrown down again. More pain she felt. She can't tell whether if it's her body or heart that hurts more.

She felt someone pull her from behind.

"Thanks a million, joker!" It was Chara. Before Sans could reacted, he teleported away, kidnapping Frisk.

Sans watched as they disappeared. He was so angry at Chara, but he knew not to go after him yet. Soon though, he would. He would find the monsters to kill that would give him enough power to finally kill him. He began to laugh to himself.
...

Frisk grunted and struggled as Chara chained up Frisk to a wall. The look of her horrified face made his smiled wider as he rose the knife near to her neck. His face was inches from hers.

"It's a shame. I like you, but...." Chara cackled, nearly slicing her throat. "I need that EXP. I do wonder how much you're worth."

"Do what you will then." Frisk glared. She didn't care to die. She felt disgusted as Chara would caress the other side of her cheek. She did not want to be touched like that by HIM.

If Frisk moved away from him, he'd beat her up until she stops moving. She was bleeding a lot from all the cuts and bruises. She kept crying as she kept getting tortured for hours. Chara's laugh kept echoing in the room. At times, he would taste the blood running off at her.

He took each of her finger and stabbed them individually. Him torturing her was so...

"You're beautiful." Chara sounded insane. Her pain was his enjoyment. His pleasure. How disgusting.

It has been... How many hours?
Frisk didn't know. But she felt that she was at the brink of death again. Chara stabbed her in her stomach. She was dying again.

Chara's eyes widened as RESET appeared before Frisk. She was almost hitting it.

"I don't think so, darling!" Chara pressed his hands on her and healed her completely.

Frisk's eyes looked at him at disbelief. The RESET disappeared along with her immense pain. (Why...)

"Interesting." Chara smirked as he started to hug Frisk in an embrace. "I can't kill you."

After all of that, he decides that?!

"Not yet. You're my prized possession." Chara sniffed Frisk's hair. It made her squirm in disgust. "You're very determined, aren't you?"

(Only death can make her RESET.) Chara thought.

Frisk just didn't say anything.
She had no words to say to him. She was at a loss of words.

"Since I can't kill you," Chara chuckled. "I can have more fun with you. You can stay here. With me." His eye started oozing. "Oh, I can have more fun with you. You'll be my doll!"

Chara started laughing more. The thought of killing Frisk finally. She's SURELY worth a lot of EXP with all of that DETERMINATION she has. No one else has the RESET power right now. She's only a measly LV 1!

"I will BREAK that will of yours!" Chara kept rambling in an insane manner. "Your death can make me the strongest of all! No amount of LOVE can touch me!!"

"You're crazy... You should have just killed me." Frisk growled.

"Oh, I'm not ignorant, my sweets." Chara rubbed his pointer finger along her lips. Frisk wanted to bite him, but she didn't dare. "You're mine. ALL mine." He had a sinister smile. "Oh, I'll have so much more fun with you..."

Frisk tried to draw her face away from Chara but he made her look at him. "Just wait until I tell your skeleton friend." He roughly lets her go. "You can stay here. Sorry, there won't be any meals for you. I'd like to hear you hunger pains when I'm back!"

With that, Chara teleported away. Frisk started to finally break down and cry.

Chapter Text

It has been three days since Frisk and Noelle went missing. Kris and Ralsei have been searching for their missing friends. Eventually they came across a strange looking place. Ralsei gave Kris's hand a squeeze. "There’s a place here. It looks deserted.”

Kris tried to use her senses. She sniffs. "I smell... a mixture of blood...I hear..." She jumped a bit.

"I hear a female crying." She walked on ahead with Ralsei. But slowly, carefully and cautiously.

Ralsei stayed silent in case there were any dangerous enemies nearby. Looking around, the place definitely looked like a prison. Then he spotted Frisk. The way she was chained up...it was horrible.

"Oh no..." He put a hand over his mouth with shock. He had seen a lot of terrible things. He had gotten a lot stronger, but it still terrified him.
Frisk was starving. She hasn't eaten in a few days. Kris heard Frisk's stomach growling. She felt the chains on Frisk.

"I'm surprised you're even alive." Kris took her sword and broke the chains off of Frisk. She was too weak to move.

"You both came.... It's dangerous...." Frisk's voice sounded dry and dehydrated.

"Yes!" Ralsei thought for a second. "I don't think I can heal you...I can try, but I don't know if it will actually do anything."

Then he got an idea. "Oh! I think I have some food on me!" He felt around in his pocket. There a club sandwich. He held it out to her. "Here. You should eat this."

Frisk started to nibble the sandwich little by little. Kris helped her drink some water she had in her bottle.They were both patient, letting Frisk recuperate.

"Thank you..." Frisk smiled sadly. She felt a little weak, but water definitely gave her more strength.

"It's no problem," Ralsei replied. "We're just glad we found you. Um...who did this to you anyway? Do they have Noelle too?"

"Chara..." Frisk slowly gotten up. How is it that she's able to do that when she's in such poor condition?

"As for Noelle, I'm not sure." Frisk had an apologetic look. "But... Chara's LV hasn't changed... That could be a good sign?"

"We could only hope..." Kris had a grim look on her face.

"How did you both get separated?" Frisk asked.

The two of them explained to Frisk what has happened as they made haste to get out of there.

....

Chara had an excited, insane look on his face. He appeared suddenly to Sans.

"Still mad at me for taking her?" Chara cackled. "Your efforts are futile. They always were!"

Sans took a step back with an angry expression. "You think that now. But soon..." He smiled. "You'll see."

Chara laughed. "I know you aren't stupid. You know about pretty mirror, don't ya? Her power?" He walked around him. "Soon, I will be the strongest one. SOON I will ruin you more."

His face gotten creepier. "BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH FUN!!"

Sans got frustrated and tried to hit Chara with a bone attack, only to get angrier when Chara dodged. "Right," he muttered angrily.

"It's meaningless." Chara laughed. "We're equal. You know where this goes. Although, it was fun at first. But it gets boring when NO ONE DIES. But you will pay, Joker."

He laughed. Remembering the bloodshed King Sans has done in his universe. He wants to rid all of the Sanses in each universe.

Sans huffed angrily. Not being able to kill Chara felt like some terrible curse. He believed that one day, Chara would be dead in front of him. He just wished that day would come sooner.

"Talk all you want. You might as well since you won't be accomplishing much else." Sans smiled in a creepy way. "Me on the other hand...I look forward to the day when your blood is on my hands."

"Tch. That won't likely happen." Chara mocked. With that, he gotten bored talking to Sans like this. "I have to go back to my doll. She must be waiting for me." With that, he teleported away.

With anger boiling inside of him, Sans started to walk in a random direction hoping to find Frisk. He turned his head slightly to the side and smiled again. "Don't worry, Papyrus. I will be the one to kill her instead."

...

Asriel was sitting down against a tree. Noelle was on the other side of it. She was chained up. They had both been silent for a while. Finally, Noelle spoke up.

Noelle wouldn't look up. She feels tired. "Why... don't you just kill me?"

She feels useless anyway. She can't protect her friends. To suffer like this, she just wants out either way.

He hesitated. "If...you don't stop asking then I will!" He honestly didn't know that answer himself. Why didn't he kill her? It would be easy with her chained up. So why did he hesitate?

(I don't want to see her die.) He shook his head to stop thinking like that. (No… I do! I just need to keep her here longer! To get that satisfaction of seeing her suffer more.) He kept thinking of ways to justify his actions.

Noelle's stomach started growling. One of the things that bother her the most is to be hungry. She hesitates a moment, but she's a little desperate.

"Um..." Noelle started. "I have some snacks in my pocket... Would you like to share some with me? I'm a bit famished..."

"I guess..." He responded. He tried to act grumpy but it was hard. "I'm guessing you need help." He sighed and walked over to her. "I'm only doing this for the food."

"It's in my side pocket." Noelle mumbled and looked away. She wasn't too keen on having any physical contact with him.

Asriel reached into her pocket and found the snacks. He looked at them for a second and then his face turned red. "I guess I have to feed you...ugh."

(Or you can unchain me, you brute.) Noelle thought to herself. But she's also thankful she's going to get some food. She opens her mouth to be fed.

Asriel awkwardly started to feed her the food, trying not to look at her. Normally, he would be happy to see someone so helpless to him. But for some reason now...he just felt uncomfortable. Why was he doing this anyway? His thoughts conflicted him.

After she had eaten it all, he started to eat his share of it. His eyes widened at the flavor. (It's actually good.)

"You must have been hungry too..." Noelle forced a fake nervous smile.

"I just like food," he lied bluntly. "Am I not allowed to? It's just...food. Food is nice."

"Ah... I see." Noelle was shivering a bit. It is a bit cold in the room. She didn't know what to say anymore and just stared at the ground.

After some silence, she mumbled. "...thank you for letting me eat...."

"Well, I can't have you dying," Asriel mumbled. "That would ruin my plan. A plan that I absolutely have. It's a very good plan."

(This...isn't going well.)

Noelle found herself laughing a little bit. A weird situation to laugh about. Maybe she's delirious at this point. Maybe it's because she's freezing.

"What are you laughing at?!" He snapped. "You're supposed to be scared! You're chained up by a scary man!"

Noelle kept laughing more. "You don't seem very scary for just feeding me and fumbling with your words."

"Maybe you're just too dumb to see it!" He yelled with his red face. "I'm scary! I'm your scary kidnapper who is smart enough to make a plan to really make you suffer! You WILL suffer at my scary paws!"

"You're making me suffer by laughing!" Noelle chuckled. "Ha... I must have gone crazy. Yeah, you're right." She looked up at him with a sad smile. "I am dumb."

Asriel seemed to soften a little for a moment. He started to mess up his words again. "Well, you...you're dumb for not being scared of me! B-but dumb..." he trailed off. Her eyes just looked so pitiful. (Why do I care?!)

...

Chara had left Frisk for 3 days in that prison of his. He didn't return to her as soon as he gotten back from Sans. He wanted her to miss him a bit. BEG him for food. Oh, how pleasing that would have been.

(I would feed her and THEN HURT HER.) He thought as he goes to where Frisk is.

Was.

(She's gone?!)

Chara's face twisted in a yandere rage. "Pretty mirror. You will pay for leaving me!!"

...

Ralsei, Kris, and Frisk had reached a place away from where Frisk was at so they could hide. They had been talking for a while about what happened. "So..." Ralsei started. "Do you know what Chara plans on doing next? Maybe if we know his next move...we can try to plan ours?"

"Listen." Frisk looked at her feet. "Chara... He's probably going to look for me again."

She looks back up at the two of them. The sweet couple that they are. "I don't want to drag you guys into this. I'm sorry. I have a story to tell too."

Frisk explained everything. The first attempt to RESET. The coma. Everything.

"I think I can fix this all...." Frisk continued. "If I could RESET. I was able to see it again after I almost died twice already. If I can get to that point..."

"That's too risky!" Kris argued. "You might as well try to kill yourself at this rate."

"Call it a hunch, but I don't think I can RESET if I were to kill myself..." Frisk explained. "It's a strange feeling I feel when someone else tries to kill me. I won't feel that way if I was a threat."

"But, Frisk, if that doesn't work out it would be terrible." Ralsei looked down. "Plus, you shouldn't have to go through all that to save this world. You seem like such a nice person...let us try to find another way."

"Do you guys have that power though?" Frisk had a serious look on her face. "Can you RESET?"

Kris couldn't say anything. It's true. Neither she nor Ralsei has that power.

"Ralsei, you cannot heal anymore" Frisk smiled sadly. "You two need each other. I'll be a way to keep you both safe. And I'll try to find Noelle."

"But-" Ralsei stopped himself. It was true that they needed each other. If they tried to help they could both get hurt. Naturally, he still wanted to help, but he didn't want Kris to be in danger either. He sighed.

"But if it weren't for us, you wouldn't have been able to get out-" Kris tried to argue.

"But if I died, I would have RESET. I can give you a chance to get out of this. For everyone to come back." Frisk refuted with a smile. Then she turned away. "You both hide and take care of each other. Please, be safe."

"We will." Ralsei grabbed Kris's hand. "I still don't like it, but..." He shook his head. "Will we be able to see each other again? I kind of consider you a friend..."

"Yes. I promise!" Frisk smiled.

"Take these with you." Kris hands her some food and water. She noticed Frisk's clothes are torn so she gives Frisk her cape to cover up more. "This should be enough to get by. Take care."

Frisk gives the couple hugs and parts ways.

...

Frisk travels into the Underground. Some spots are familiar. Some aren't, due to the Dark World clashing with this world. Her sense of direction is off since the placements are different now. Such as, where the Hotlands are supposed to be, but there's where Sans's sentry station in a weird, Snowdin-like area. It was mixed in with parts of the Waterfall.

Frisk would refill her water and nourish herself with food. Whenever she gotten hungry or thirsty.

Deeper and deeper, she journeys within the area. There, again, she finds Sans.

Frisk stands her ground and starts her plea. "I can end this all. We can go back. Back to where everyone and everything was happier. Papyrus.... Where is he?"

"What do you mean?" Sans tilted his head with a smile. "He's right here. Right, Papyrus?" He started to walk forward slowly.

Frisk raised her eyebrow in question. "No, he's not..." She didn't budge. "Papyrus wouldn't like what you're doing! He'd want his punny, harmless brother!"

(I can't kill her because she will just come back. I guess I need to try something else.) He grabbed some of her hair. (Unwise girl for having such long hair in a place like this. This will be very fun for me.)

"You're laughable. I KNOW my brother. I know what he wants," Sans said.

"No, I KNOW Papyrus!" Frisk argued, winced from her hair being pulled. "He was always innocent! He hated violence!!"

Sans pulled on her hair harder, satisfied by her pained expression. "You don't know what he's really like. He is just...Like...Me." He put emphasis on the last part in hopes of scaring her more. It was truly fun for him.

Frisk kept her look of determination on her face. Even though she was pained, her expression didn't change. "I do know what he's like! Neither of you were like this! Snap out of it!"

"Oh, but there's nothing to snap out of!" Sans laughed coldly. "I know exactly what I'm doing, and I'm enjoying it too." He let go of her hair and kicked her, causing her to fall. (If I can just break her. Get rid of her determination. Then she can't reset anymore.)

Frisk felt so hurt by that, but she wiped off any dirt on her clothes as she stood back up. She has a look of determination and kindness. "I won't hurt you. I offer you my friendship and mercy. I'm sorry to made you upset."

"I don't accept." Sans cackled. "Why would I want friendship when I can kill?"

"Because... we were happier back then!" Frisk replied. "Don't you miss that?"

"Pfft. No." Sans looked down at her. He’s enjoying her pitiful state. "Why would I miss that? A life of killing is so much more enjoyable. You can't imagine how it feels."

"No, because it's wrong." Frisk looked down. "Papyrus would be so disappointed."

A thought came to her. "Did Chara kill him...?"

That seemed to make Sans snap again. "Don't say that! And don't ask idiotic questions like that!"

Then there was that voice in Sans's head again. A familiar face close by to tell Sans what he wanted him to do. "SANS."

Sans suddenly smiled again. "Yes, Papyrus?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO. DON'T STOP HURTING HER. WE HAVE TO MAKE HER SNAP."

"You read my mind." Sans smacked her cheek. The slap was as loud as a clap and it stung her face. It left a red welt behind on it. "So...how does it feel? You leave us for seven years, and now everything is different. You're to blame for this!"

Slapping her again, Frisk winced and had a look of shock. She felt really hurt. She didn't know what else to say. "I'm sorry...."

She looked at him. "I didn't intend for this to happen. But no matter how much you injure me... I'm willing to fix things."

"Fix things?" He ended up hitting her again. His hand cracked across her face, snapping it back with a forceful blow. "You've only ruined things. Ruined the lives of all your friends. Ruined my revenge. It's all you know how to do."

Again. Another whack hit onto her cheek. It must have caused a bruise to form at this point. Frisk started to cry. All his words. This violence. It's hard for her not to give up.

To persist.

But.

She.

Refused.

"Papyrus and the others wouldn't stand you like this!" Frisk bawled. "It's truly malicious!!"

He grabbed part of her shirt and looked at her threateningly. "Shut up! I know for a fact that Papyrus is happy with this!" Sans's face turned to a smile again. "I'm only keeping you by me so Chara doesn't steal my kill."

"Then just kill me already!" Frisk wailed more. Talking doesn't seem to do anything with Sans. She tried to pry his hand off of her. She feels a bit disgusted he's handling her like this.

Her efforts to escape did nothing. Sans was too strong. "Because I have other plans." Without waiting for her to respond, he started to drag her away.

...

Sans and Frisk have been walking for a while. Well, more like Sans has been walking and Frisk was being mercilessly dragged along, hitting things as they went. But then, Sans spotted someone. "Oh, look at that. More EXP."

Asriel turned around. "You!" He stood up and walked a few feet away from where Noelle was still chained up.

Noelle looked up to see what's going on. She saw Frisk. Her eyes gotten more terrified seeing Sans roughly holding onto Frisk.

"Noelle!" Frisk noticed Noelle is chained up by an unknown monster. His LV isn't as high as Sans's. He's definitely no match.

"Let her go! Please, it's dangerous!" Frisk struggled.

"Dangerous? But it won't even hurt for that long if you stay still! Both of you!" Sans said.

Asriel looked at Sans and then back at Noelle. (I can't believe I'm doing this...) He quickly got down and started to unchain Noelle.

As Asriel was distracted, he felt a bone graze his shoulder and go into the tree above Noelle's head. He fell forward towards Noelle. (That could've killed us! We need to get out of here...) He realized the position he was in and backed up, his face turning red.

Noelle was just squeezing her eyes shut. Preparing for the worst with everything. She felt too scared to move.

There was a tear to the cloth Kris had given to Frisk. It caused her to stand in front of Sans’s attack. "I won't let you!"

She gotten hit pretty fatally. It caused Noelle to whimper at the sight of this.

"Just hurry and leave! Both of you!" Frisk yelled through her pain. It would all be worth it if she could near death again. To get that RESET.

Asriel saw Frisk get hurt, and memories flowed through his head. Memories that weren't his own. Or were they? It was of vines wrapping around Frisk's neck and throwing her.

(Flowey...)

He was filled with an overwhelming feeling of guilt. This tough, 'scary' monster began to cry silently.

(Why do I feel this guilt? I shouldn't care.)

But he did care.

"Frisk, get out of the way!" Sans yelled. He stopped trying to attack.

Frisk didn't budge at all. She kept herself as a shield to Asriel and Noelle. "You can hit me. Abuse me. Do what you will, but I won't let you harm others!"

Those words hurt her to say more than anything. (I just want to save everyone. Even you, Sans... Even though you hurt me so much already...! I can't give up!!)

(She's just doing this to get her power to reset!) Sans thought angrily.

Asriel finally finished freeing Noelle. Using his power took so much energy. He didn't know if he could do it again. Taking Noelle’s wrist, he ran with her. She kept looking back at Frisk until she couldn't see her anymore. “No…!”

Once they both reached safety, Noelle was a bit out of breath. "Pant... But... We need to go... pant... Back to help... Frisk...."

"Are you crazy?!" Asriel grip tightened on her wrist. His paw was shaking. "He's too strong! He's going to kill us both if we go back!"

Noelle winced. "Ow!" His grip was a bit tight.

Wait....

"Both?" She looked at him in confusion.

"Uh, well...!" Asriel started. His face got that flustered look again. "I guess you can...get promoted...or something. You know, like travel with me without being chained up."

He noticed that she was smiling. "Don't smile! You should be upset! It's your fault for making me feel...soft...and now I HAVE to put up with you!"

"Well, thank you for promoting me." Noelle smiled wider. "Um, your paw is hurting my wrist though. Ahaha."

He let go of her wrist. "S..." He looked like he was really struggling. "Sorry...?"

Noelle gasped. "Did you just-"

"Shhh! Never tell ANYONE I said that, ok? If you tell anyone...I might have to kill you. Ha ha."

She wasn't laughing.

"I was just kidding! Maybe? Anyway, let's go." He started to walk away, leaving Noelle to follow behind him.

...

Sans grabbed Frisk by her throat. "If you don't stop getting in my way, you won't like what happens! I know you seem to think that letting yourself get hurt is a good idea, but I don't think you would if you could see inside of my head! I have plenty of ways to torture you."

"I still..." Frisk's trying to talk. It's hard to with Sans choking her. "Believe... you can... make the... right... choice...."

The RESET was flickering in front of her again. Due to the fact she was heavily bleeding once more. Losing her air is making her at death's door once again.

Sans spotted the RESET button. He wanted to badly to kill her. Even hurting her more could cause her to be able to go back. He had to resist the urge...But Frisk just had to say that.

"SHE'S USING MY WORDS AGAINST YOU TO MAKE YOU WEAK," Papyrus's voice told him. "DON'T LET HER GET TO YOU."

Sans wasn't able to hold back though. He threw her to the ground. "You know..." He started. "It was really entertaining to kill all of them. Hearing them beg me for mercy...their tears...the pure horror and pain in their eyes! It was all so perfect!"

He laughed. "You're so...I can't even think of a word to describe you. You go around acting all sweet and innocent like you did nothing wrong. Like the blood on my hands isn't partially due to your own failures. But you know what?" He stopped walking around her. "They wouldn't be dead right now if it wasn't for you."

He saw the look of shock on her face, and the amount of blood she was losing. It was satisfying to him. But once again, he knew that he couldn't kill her. He used his powers to heal her so she couldn't RESET. "This way you suffer longer."

(Flowey...) Frisk thought. That tainted flower. He said he killed so many times as well.

(Sans is no different from him.. well... a bit more violent. And chilling.)

But...

She wishes she'd never had gone away. Sans wouldn't be like this.... Or would he have ended up this way? The feeling of the weight of this world pushed heavily onto her shoulders.

Sans grabbed Frisk's wrist. "We're leaving. No use staying here anymore." He started to drag her away.

...

Four days.

It has been four days Ralsei and Kris had parted ways with Frisk. Food is getting scarce. Kris's stomach started to rumble in an intense manner.

"Noelle.. what if..." Kris bit her lip, fearing for the worst for her.

Ralsei had the same fears too. He wanted to comfort Kris somehow, but he couldn't find the words. Then be spotted something. There was a tree, and on it was a candy.

One candy. Not enough to fill up a single person, let alone two. He pulled it off of the tree. He was so hungry...he wanted to eat it so badly. But instead, he held it out to Kris. "I found food!"

Kris felt the food go into her hands and smelled it. Immediately, she took a bite out of it. Surely, dark candy isn't filling to most, but with Kris, she's able to be satisfied with it.

"You got your own share as well?" Kris asked in concern. Feeling bad she already took a bite without asking that first.

"Mhm!" He felt terrible for lying to her, but he knew how she was. He wanted her to eat and get her strength up instead of him. He didn't want her to worry. So in order to distract her, he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Ralsei's face turned red, and he saw Kris's do the same. Although it hurt him to not eat anything and lie to her, he felt that it was worth it in the end for this. This moment showed him just how much he really cared about her and loved her. If it came to it, he was sure that he would do anything for her.

The he blurted out something really sudden. "Kris, if it ever gets to a point where this world is safe again..." he trailed off. That seemed so unlikely to happen at that point. It truly did seem like the world was falling apart. Was there any way to fix all of it? He got up his courage again. "....do you want to get married?"

"Wh-what?" Kris's face felt warm, but her heart felt fuzzy and warm. They've been together all of these years, but speaking about marriage was never talked about. She had thought about it. But they would always think of survival.

She smiled happily. "Yes. But there's no one to marry us."

"I know..." He looked at the ground. "The future here is uncertain for us, isn't it?" A few moments of silence passed before he had an idea. He grabbed both of her hands. "Kris...do you want to exchange our vows right now? If we wait, we won't know what will happen..."

Kris had a warm and emotional smile. "Yes! Certainly!" She squeezed his hands in hers.

"Ok, um..." His face turned a deeper red. "Kris, I promise to always be there for you no matter what. To love you forever like I know you will be for me. Out of everyone in the world, I'm glad that I met you. Times are hard right now, but I will never leave you!" He smiled.

Kris's cheeks blushed more. "Ralsei, I promise to always stay by your side. All this time of spending with you, I have cherished. I'm so glad I had met you and that we have each other. I love you so very much."

"I love you too!" He gently put his paws in the sides of her face and their lips met. After a few seconds he backed away, holding her hands again. "I think that if we can at least stay like this I will be happy. We're together so, um, I'm pretty sure that's all I need to stay happy."

"I'm just so happy to be your wife now." Kris cried happy tears. "And one day, I hope, we can um...." She looked down shyly. "Have children together. I-I have thought about that before but I don't want to bring them into this kind of world."

"Maybe we can save this world together. Make it a safer place for our children to grow up in. That's...my wish at least," Ralsei said. "It can't be impossible, after all! I bet we can do it if we really try!"

"Yes! I would lo-"

SLASH

Kris's voice got cut off as some blood splatter onto Ralsei. The sound of it trickling onto the floor. Her mouth quivered in pain that she couldn’t even scream.

"How touching. Until death due you part." Chara's voice was behind Kris's back as he forcefully pulled the knife out.

"Wha-?" Ralsei got a panicked look on his face. "Kris!" He caught her body and fell to the ground, holding her close. "Kris, come on! I know how strong you are! Please, try to last a little longer! I will carry you to find something that can heal you...you just have to hold on!" His tears kept falling onto her face.

"Ral...sei... I'm...." Kris's voice was heaving and heavy. "...sorry....I can't.... keep... my promise..." She took her last breath.

"No!" He cried. "You can't..." He found it hard to talk through his crying. "Kris...I love you too much to let go..." He knew that no one would answer. Yet he said it anyway. He didn't make any effort to move to escape. He didn't care anymore about anything else in the moment. Chara didn't scare him. His worst fear had already come true.

Chara kept laughing as he edges closer to Ralsei. He licked Kris's blood off of his knife in a mocking way. "My, my. I knew your healing wouldn't last forever. That was rather satisfying."

Chara's LV increased by 1.

Ralsei felt a burning hatred that he had never felt for anyone before. Not even the Chaos King. He truly despised Chara. He had no strength left to try to fight. Plus, he wasn't strong enough. He would die either way.

He clenched his fists as more tears rolled down his cheeks. "Stop! Why are you torturing me like this when you could just kill me now?! Wouldn't that be easier for you?" He just wanted it to be over. Chara's words were too much for him.

"I just want to TOY with you more." Chara grabbed Ralsei by his ear roughly. "It wouldn't be FUN to just kill you right away."

He grabs Kris's bloody corpse away from Ralsei. How disgusting and disrespectful. The way he grabbed her was just like he was holding trash. "I have such a great idea what to do with you both. Hahahahaha!!!"

Ralsei desperately tried to reach for her body. "Please...can I at least carry her? That won't hurt anything."

"Nope." Chara yanked Ralsei away. "You see, I'm not so kind like that." His eyes widened with a creepy smirk. "Heheh. Let's go."

He dragged them both away with him. Nothing would make him happier to get Frisk and KILL her. To gaze upon her pained face and beautiful bloody body. Perhaps Sans did have her? He will have to go see for himself.

Ralsei didn't say anything the whole time, even going to the extent of forcing himself to stay silent whenever Chara hurt his ear. He would shoot glances at Kris sometimes, feeling so heartbroken and alone. He didn't even do his usual attempt at talking things out.

Chapter Text

As Frisk was being pulled by Sans, she noticed Sans had stopped walking. There was a presence that Frisk wasn't aware of.

"Welp, found ya, you royal scum." Chara had appeared from the shadows. His eyes wandered and sees Frisk. "My little lamb. I had finally found you. I punished those who had freed you."

Frisk put her hand over her mouth. Her hands trembled seeing the sight of Kris's body being dragged around. Chara mercilessly throws her down right in front of him.

Ralsei flinched and looked away, trying not to cry again at the horrible sight. Sans got in between Frisk and Chara. He couldn't let Frisk get killed. Especially not by Chara. That would ruin everything.

Then Sans noticed Chara's LV. It was higher. If they got in a fight now, Sans would surely lose. His eye started to twitch. "YOUR little lamb? Getting a little cocky don't you think? Especially since I have Frisk."

"Tsk, tsk." Chara's words felt icy. "Not for long, because you see, she will come to me. Because I surely LOVE her and want to BE WITH her."

Frisk's face turned to disgust and tried to keep herself from crying. (Kris... I'm so sorry... I couldn't save you in time...)

"Heh. Too bad she doesn't LOVE you back. If you're trying to make her willingly go with you by saying that, you aren't going to accomplish much," Sans responded.

"Who says she has to willingly go!" Chara goes to thrust his knife towards Sans while roughly holding onto Ralsei still.

Frisk can see that Chara's LV is one higher than Sans's now. She had to act quickly. Despite the fact that Sans has been abusing her a lot... Surely, she feels idiotic but...

Frisk runs to shield Sans from Chara's attack as his knife thrusted into the side of her arm.

"Will you stop doing that?!" Sans grabbed her arm roughly, but ended up healing it. "Stay out of the way!"

Chara laughs. "Aw, sweet Frisk. It was nice to of you to fall into my trap like that."

Frisk tried to take her arm away from Sans. "Don't be blind! Chara can eventually kill you with his LV being higher now!"

Sans looked past Frisk at Ralsei. Chara making sure he couldn't get away made him even more vulnerable. "It won't be like that for long."

He had a sinister smile on his face as he made a bone go through Ralsei's leg. Ralsei cried out in pain and stumbled, but Chara didn't allow him to fall.

Frisk gets into Sans's face by clinging onto both of his shoulders. "Stop it! Just stop!! Please!" More tears kept coming out of her face. She can't seem to stand Sans acting like this any longer.

"Heheh." Chara puts his knife towards Ralsei's throat. "I can easily kill the goat. I can gain another LV." His other hand beckons Frisk to come to him. "I can let him live. Heck, I won't hurt Sans either. If you would just come with me. I'm feeling oh so generous today!"

Sans hesitated. It would be so nice to kill Ralsei, and gain the LV. After all, that's all he cared about. He didn't care about the life of anyone. Only what they had to offer him in terms of strength, and entertainment when they suffered.

Right?

"Don't listen to him," Sans said angrily. He looked like he was in pain. It was just so hard to resist killing. He didn't even know why he was resisting. He wanted to kill, but something else was telling him not to.

"You have a minute to decide, lovey." Chara taunted Frisk as she looks back and forth at everyone.

If Sans killed Ralsei, that's what Chara would want. Chara is toying and taunting Sans more to take the bait. Chara's patience was lessening. Frisk wasn't budging to going towards him. It was making Chara irritated. Frisk noticed Sans kept muttering and arguing with himself on what to do. Her hands didn't let go of his shoulders. That made Chara even angrier and jealous.

"Well, I'll do it then. You had your chance, Frisk!" Chara takes this as an opportunity to kill Ralsei.

Sans looked up when he heard that and saw that Chara was about to kill Ralsei. (Come on! Just...!) He summoned an attack that knocked Chara away from Ralsei. It didn't actually hurt Chara that much. Ralsei collapsed, struggling to stay conscious.

"Ralsei!" Frisk tried to run to him, but Chara was too fast and grabbed Ralsei.

Chara's eye glowed aggressively. He cursed at Sans for stopping him that he summoned knives to also harm him.

"Stop!" Frisk blocked Sans once more and ran towards Chara. "I'll go with you! Just no more!!"

Chara pulled Frisk close to him and smiled in a twisted way. "I thought so. You're too sweet like that."

Before Sans could do anything, Chara teleported away with them. Leaving Sans with Chara's words towards him. "She came to ME."

Then he's gone.

(I'm done playing these games.) Sans started to walk in the direction of a wooded area. (I just need a few more kills to be able to kill him. Then once he's dead, I can get Frisk back.) He ended up breaking tree branches as he went, frustrated that Chara got away again with Frisk.

....

The chains pressed harshly cold against Frisk's skin.

(Here we are again.)

Frisk didn't fight back being chained up by Chara again. Her goal was to RESET. But how much more suffering can she take? She looks at the wounded Ralsei.

"You said you would spare him. Let him go!" Frisk ordered.

Chara's eyes were blankly staring at her. "Frisk...."

The way he said it didn't sound too good. It was rather ominous.

"I didn't like how you were acting towards Sans earlier." He started to caress her. She struggled to get away from him. Seeing that, Chara didn't like that.

"This is your punishment." He stabbed into Ralsei's throat with full force. No words came out as his pleading eyes stayed wide opened as he had died. His body hit the floor with a resounding thud.

Frisk looked away and started to cry. "You're repulsive! Sick!"

"Now, now." Chara put his body close to hers. He made her look up towards him. "Anyone who gets in my way from your attention deserves to be DEAD. I only did you a favor. You didn't need either of them! You need me!"

Frisk started to cry more. "I'd rather be dead than to need you!"

Chara frowned. "You wish for that, but I am not an idiot. You can make this all go away, can't you? That was your plan."

Frisk gasped. So Chara definitely is aware. That means...

"Why do you think joker wanted to keep you by him? So he can break you too!" Chara growled and then laughed. "Only I can do that! Only I deserve your EXP!!"

Frisk tried to look away from Chara, but couldn't. He was forcing her so hard that it hurt her neck. He'd punch her in her stomach. Engrave his name into Frisk's skin with deep cuts. He would do unspeakable, defiling things to her after every moment his name was carved onto her skin. Her screams were pleasing to him. It only made him want more from her.

"YOU'RE MINE, FRISK!! ONLY MINE!!!" Chara cackled maniacally.

...

Sans was travelling around, looking for monsters to kill. He HAD to get stronger so could kill Chara and get Frisk back.

He hit himself on the side of his own head while laughing. “Why can't I stop thinking about her? Will I still feel this way after I can finally kill her?”

His eyes were wide with an insane look. “Get out! Get out of my head!” He paused. “Not you, Papyrus.” He wanted to break her. Why did he feel like he wanted something else too? (It doesn't make any sense!)

The way she looked at him. Those eyes of hers.

She looked so…

...

Asriel and Noelle have been walking around. He would drag her around, but less roughly for some reason. Ahead, there was someone on the ground.

Someone.

Familiar.

The stench of blood lingered through the air. Noelle started to gasp at the sight. She started trembling in Asriel's grip.

"Pl-please, can we go over there closer?" Noelle wanted to make sure she was seeing things right.

"I guess."

They walked over to the place. It was who she thought it was. Asriel was accustomed to the sight of death, and had no emotional attachment to Kris anyway. He just stared at her body blankly.

Noelle reaches down the body. She turned it over. It was Kris. Her skin wasn't blue anymore. Her hair had turned back to that red-brunette.

Noelle started to tremble viciously. Her tears kept falling out of her eyes as she held onto Kris. (Not again....)

Susie had already died before too. Another friend she had lost. Not only that, Noelle had lost her family due to the calamity.

"Not again!" She repeated, but out loud this time. She started to scream and cry. She couldn't stop bawling. She was having a breakdown that she felt like throwing up. She anxiously looked for any sign of Ralsei's belongings. It was hard to see with her tears blurring her eyes.

(Please, Ralsei... I hope you're alive too...) A mixture of hope went along with her grief. But she couldn't shake the depression she was now feeling.

Asriel's eyes widened, and he continued to stare at Noelle for a minute. He wasn't sure what he should do. He felt a strange mixture of strong emotions that turned into silent tears. He slowly walked up behind her.

"Noelle?" He asked. When he spoke, his sadness was easier to detect. "Let's go. We shouldn't stay here any longer."

"Huh?" Noelle took a look at him. Shocked by the kindness, but also...

His tears.

"You're... crying... too?" She sniffled. It was hard to talk since she was breathing hard from her breakdown. She started to hesitate to ask him this, but before he said anything in response....

"Why the change of heart...? I... I thought..." She started to cry a bit more. Feeling confused. She buried her face in her hands. "That I'm just nothing to you... That I'm dumb... That I'm just EXP to you... why...?"

"You might have tricked me into caring about you," he said grumpily. "I accidentally want to be your friend. And...it hurts to see you cry...I don't understand." He started to wipe his eyes as more tears came, embarrassed for his emotions.

"You.... want to be my friend...?" Noelle started to cry more. "Th-thank you... b-because this... is... so hard... I-I already lost so much.... I... can't do this by myself..."

"Well...you don't have to, I guess." He used his ears to cover up his cheeks. "Since we're friends now...you will have to put up with me forever because I'm never going to leave you alone now."

Noelle is a little relieved. Asriel was a little rough and scary with her when she first met him...

But...

This is comforting to her.

"C-can you help me find Ralsei and Frisk?" Noelle couldn't seem to stop sobbing. "I can't bear to lose anyone else..."

He nodded. "But..." He paused as he seemed to get nervous. He looked down at his scarf with blood on it. Looking at it now made him almost feel sick to his stomach. That wouldn't work. He needed to clean it somehow.

"Is it ok if I..." He trailed off again, clenching his eyes shut. He seemed to have a major mood change all of a sudden

"Wh-what?" Noelle couldn't help but stammer due to her crying a lot.

"Well, you're still crying...and it's still making me sad...so thanks a lot." He pouted. "So...can I wipe your tears away?"

"A-ah... Um..." Noelle didn't even know how to respond to that, but....

"Never mind! I don't know why I even asked!" He turned his back to her, trying to contemplate his next move. He faced her again. "I'm doing it anyway." He used his thumb to wipe away the tears on her face. His paw felt oddly gentle.

Noelle started to blush a little bit. She didn't understand why she was but to feel a comforting touch like that... She unconsciously touched his paw without realizing as a reflex. Her eyes shifted away from his. "Th-thank you..."

"No! Don’t thank me!" He said angrily as he pulled his paws away. "I care about you so it's my job to help you!"

His face relaxed and he smiled in an almost sincere way. "How was that? Am I being a good friend? I bet I'm doing great!"

"Err..." Noelle blinked in confusion. "Well, you shouldn't be reluctant to gratitude for starters... Ah... Sorry. I think you're doing better!" She slowly moved hair out of her face.

"Oh." There was a pause. "Then do thank me! I actually like it better that way anyway! And you didn't need to apologize for that just now because I asked for feedback. See, I can teach you stuff too!"

This Asriel is very weird. It is like he had a shift in his persona. But, he's definitely warming up to Noelle... She's still a little cautious. Just a little bit due to how he was before.

"I guess you have taught me a thing or two." Noelle slowly stands up. She couldn't bear to look at Kris anymore. She took a deep breath. It is hard. So hard to deal with this.

"I just hope Ralsei and Frisk are safe..." She sighed. "I... Can't just stay here any longer."

"Then...let's go look for them." He reached down like he was going to grab her wrist to drag her, but he grabbed her hand instead. It wasn't a rough grab either.

...

After walking for a while, Asriel spotted Sans in the distance. He squeezed Noelle's hand.

When Sans turned around and spotted them, there was pure desperation and insanity in his eyes. He walked forward in an odd way. "There you two are again! I have to tell ya, I was almost hoping I would run into someone else to kill. I know that Frisk is fond of you, Noelle. But alas, I guess I have to deal with what I have! You two were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Pl-please... We're l-looking for Frisk- I..." Noelle tried to continue, but no more words came out. She was too terrified. She finds herself hiding behind Asriel, but clinging her hands onto his back shirt. She was starting to shake.

"I don't really care what you were doing before I found you." Sans summoned a bone and let it hover in the air, aimed at them. "What I know is that I'm looking for someone to kill, and here you are! It's really not that complicated."

Asriel didn't flinch from the bone. He would die for sure if he got hit with it, but he stayed strong. His strength was back, so his powers would allow for an easy escape.

Without wasting another moment to talk, he made the world around them begin to warp. Sans left their view.

Noelle had her eyes squeezed shut only to notice Asriel dropping down onto the ground due to her hands almost making her fall down with him. "A-Asriel."

She looked around her surroundings. Sans is gone.

She kneels down to Asriel. He was holding his head. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." His vision was messed up though. He couldn't see anything. He reached over and tapped Noelle's elbow. His vision went back to normal when he felt her, and he sighed in relief.

He stood up, stumbling a little. "Ready to keep looking?"

"B-but.... You don't seem to be..." Noelle's face was full of worries.

"I am. I thought you wanted to find the others? Come on." Asriel offered his hand to help her up.

Noelle took his paw into her hand. She didn't realize she stayed a tad close to him.

Asriel smiled at that.

...

There was an eerie cottage that came into view. A place Sans hadn’t searched yet. Knowing Chara, he wouldn’t have Frisk in plain sigh.

Stepping inside, there was a dead body on the ground. Sans frowned when he saw Ralsei's body with the knife still there. His eyes were even still open.

Chara had killed him. Good thing Sans had leveled up. Back to being equal.
EXP is hard to get by with less and less monsters to kill.

Sans stepped towards Chara. "I see you killed the goat." He had an obviously forced smile. There was a threatening glint in his eyes. "And I thought you cared for Frisk?"

"Tch. I do CARE for her." Chara glared at Sans. "But friends are unnecessary. She only needs me." He turned to Frisk and possessively touched her tired, worn face. She couldn't process Sans being there. She had dealt with a number of unspeakable, violating tortures.

He noticed that Sans was looking at the engraving in Frisk's skin. "Like it? That means she's marked by me."

"Disgusting." Sans scowled. "When I get her back I have to see your name all the time."

"Who says you're getting her back?" Chara looked at him in an emotionless, eerie way.

Frisk was trying to open her eyes. Realizing what's happening. She tried to talk, but she was in too much pain.

Chara lashed out a bombard of knives at Sans. "Leave! You can't have her!!!"

Within a flash, Sans went over to Frisk and grabbed her, despite the knives. He ended up getting a cut on his shoulder. Nothing super severe, but still painful.

He didn't know if he could teleport her away with her being chained up. It was worth a shot though. He tried to use his power and it was a success.

They had teleported into this vacant, cave-like area. Frisk fell onto Sans. Obviously, weak and bleeding from the cuts Chara put onto her body. Her breath was heaving a bit hard due to more blood coming out.

Sans healed her without hesitation and tried to get her to stand up on her own. "Get up!" He pushed her away.

Frisk snapped out of it. She looked around her surroundings. Noticing, that she wasn't near Chara again.

She felt like crying.

Kris and Ralsei are gone.

She had gone through terrible things with Chara.

All she wanted. Was comfort. Of some sort.

Sans.

Even though he has been awful to her...

Yeah, it's stupid. But...

She's tired. So tired of being tossed around between Chara and Sans. Chara... Is much more terrifying than Sans ever has been.

"S-Sans...." Frisk was trembling. Her tear droplets kept falling onto the ground. "Chara... H-he...." She noticed that Chara's name is now scarred on her. She can't even stand to look at it. It didn't even matter that Sans healed her. It's still there. Even if it wasn’t… The horrible things he had done…

"Chara is never going anywhere near you again," Sans said. "He already..." He found himself trailing off. "I'm not going to risk losing my kill."

"No... But... you..." Frisk found herself hugging Sans. It happened so fast. She just wanted to feel an embrace of some sort... Not only that.

"Th-thank you for not killing Ralsei... Chara lied to me... But you listened to me..." Frisk kept sobbing onto his shoulder. Feeling also stupid going towards Sans like this at the same time. Yet, she doesn't want to pull away from him. But prepared herself to just be pushed away from him again. Inside of her heart, she felt so awful. Torn up.

Sans was so shocked at her hugging him that he didn't process what was going on at first. So he just stood there. It was long enough to feel her tears, and the way her heart raced. That was enough to make his angry look falter.

He came to his senses and pushed her away, turning his back to her so she couldn't see the color on his face turning purple. "We're going to keep walking." He tried to change the subject.

Frisk sniffled and wiped away her tears. For some reason, when Sans would drag her around, it seemed less....

Rough? But he was still cold to her. As some time passed, Frisk started to keel over in a bit of pain. Chara didn't feed Frisk at all. She was starving. Also, super dirty.

She hesitates a moment, but she started. "Um.... Sans?" She stopped midsentence.

"What?" He looked at her over his shoulder. Now that he really paid attention, she didn't look good at all. That made Sans worry a little.

Worry?

Why is he worried?

Shouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to kill her?

"If it's not a bother, c-can I shower somewhere? I'm starting to feel uncomfortable..." Frisk looks down. She had been treated less than a woman this whole time. She clung onto her torn clothes a bit. "I'm a bit grimy... gross... if it's not too much trouble.. I need a shower. My clothes are nearly falling apart."

She pouted a little bit. "I-I am a female after all. So....hygiene is important to me."

He huffed angrily. Realizing how she looked, he turned away his gaze at her. "I guess you can. You smell terrible anyway. It's pretty bad if I think that."

"Thank you." Frisk kind of laughed. "I feel like a hobo. I'm also really hungry."

They eventually reached a destination point. He opened up the door to what Frisk assumed was his house.

"I will find something that you can eat. Just...go take a shower. Please." Sans kept trying not to look at her.

"Thank you so much. I know I am super stanky!" Frisk joked and smiled towards him as she goes inside. She shuts the door behind her.

Sans went off to get some food, grumbling angrily as he went. "This is the last time I dedicate my time to a human with some wacky RESET powers. Keeping her alive is really becoming an annoyance."

...

The sound of water is splashing onto the stony ground of the shower. The bathroom is pretty large. Frisk kept peeking out through the shower curtains. Yeah, Sans let her shower. But what if he was watching?

Or someone else? That insanity of theirs... She is thankful to have some sort of privacy finally. It was nice feeling the steam and warmth fall onto her.

(All this time.. I've been treated less than a person...) Frisk thought in frustration. (But... I am full of gratitude for Sans letting me shower...)

She stays in there for a while. No matter how much she cleaned herself, Chara really made her feel filthy. Disgusting. The way he…Defiled her over and over again. It was disturbing her memories. Making her heart quake.

(Don’t think about it. It’s over now…)

The sound of the shower faucet made a squeak sound. Quickly, Frisk took a towel right outside of the shower set and wrapped it around herself.

She threw out her original clothes in the trashcan.

(Great. I forgot to ask for clothes. There must be some around here somewhere...)

She decided to look around. The silence of the place was making her uncomfortable. It was just a dead feeling....

BUMP!

Frisk flinched at the sound. She heard something. She started to cling onto her towel tighter. Her mouth opened to speak, but stopped herself.

(Don't speak! What if it's dangerous?!)

Frisk started to tremble a bit. Her heart raced faster.

Dangerous...

The engravement on her skin.

'Chara'.

Frisk started to panic a bit. What if he's found her? In such a vulnerable state like this? She hated to think that he would stumble upon her. To do that again.

Her body started shivering like crazy. Her vision started to darken a little bit. It was like she was starting to have a panic attack. Remembering all the disgusting tortures Chara put her through.

And then.

There he was.

In the bathroom. Looking at her with a disgusting smile on his face.

"N-no! Get out!" Frisk shrieked.

Chara drew near to her face and sniffed her. "I'm so pleased you smell nice for me."

Frisk started to shudder and cry more. (I'm powerless. I know I can't do anything in this situation! I wish Sans didn't leave me alone....)

All of it was a realistic hallucination. Due to all the trauma Frisk has went through with Chara. She keeps imagining more terrible things happening to her from Chara. Screams of torment left Frisk's lips as she falls to her knees onto the ground. She desperately held her towel closely to herself. Loud sobs and hyperventilating. Frisk couldn't stop this anxiety.

She can't tell that Chara isn't real, yet he feels like he is.

Sans had some hotdogs waiting for her on the table when he heard her screaming. (What in the world?!) He went over to the door and knocked on it. Well, more like pounded. "What is going on in there?!"

Frisk felt like she was losing control. Her breathing became more rapid as she saw Chara's faces everywhere. The room was spinning. A cold sweat kept forming onto Frisk's forehead. Feeling detached from reality, she cried harder until...

THUD

Growing weak due to her rapid heartbeat and lack of breath, she had fainted.

He heard this and started to try to turn the handle. Locked. (Someone could be trying to take the power to reset! It could be Chara again!)

For some reason getting that power didn't seem as important anymore.

He looked up. (Why did I have the idea to put the spare key on top of the door?!) He used his powers to grab them and he put them in the door, turning the knob and pushing it open.

He saw Frisk on the ground wrapped up in a towel. He walked over to her and pushed her with his foot. (Yep. She's out all right. Why though? Is she sick?)

He got down and lifted her off the ground, his cheeks getting a hint of purple as he did so. It was just an awkward situation since she was only wearing a towel and tried to be careful for it not to fall off. He laid her down on the couch.

He looked over at the table. (I did get two...I guess if she isn't going to wake up anytime soon I can eat one of them myself.) He rubbed his hands together and hurried over to the table, leaving Frisk to lay there.

It felt cold. Freezing.

Why?

Frisk unconsciously grabbed herself as she woke up. Her surroundings look different now.

(Not again.) She felt a little scared. More frightened noticing the fact she hasn't dressed yet. She takes a pillow and clings onto it when she heard footsteps approaching.

What good would a pillow do anyway in this situation? She wasn't thinking straight.

Sans walked into the room. "Oh, you're awake. I was starting to worry that you-"

A pillow almost hit Sans's face. But due to his reflexes, he dodged it.

"St-stay away!!" Frisk shrieked. Her face is red. "D-don't you dare try to kill me! Not when I'm like this!!"

So bold of her to say that. She immediately regretted saying that but her flustered state made he not think.

"I'm not gonna kill you!" He waved his hands angrily. Not like he would kill her anyway with her powers. "I would have done so already! Get some clothes on!"

"I don't have any! I threw them out!" Frisk huffed. "Get me some! ....Please!" She kept watching his every moment. She's definitely on guard. A mixture of fear and embarrassment lingered in her emotions.

"Ugh." He walked away and looked for some clothes. He was definitely the type to have a lot of hoodies. He just hadn't changed recently because why bother? They would just get gross the moment he killed someone.

He ended up grabbing a white hoodie and going back to Frisk. He threw it at her and it landed on her head, causing him to snicker.

Frisk gave him a glare. She looks at the hoodie, but she would only have a top. No bottoms. Surely, it's oversized, but still.

"I-I can't just wear only this." Frisk pouted. Then she muttered in a frustrated tone under her breath. "You'd want that, wouldn't you?"

Sans heard something as he was walking away to get more clothes. He looked at her over his shoulder. "What was that?"

"You heard me." Frisk looked away. She chickened out to saying it again. "I'm not saying it again." She muttered.

Sans didn't say anything to her. In fact, that made his face turn into a deep purple, but his back was turned from her to see it. Just walked away, muttering angrily under his breath. He went back to her with more clothes and threw them at her too. "There. Happy?"

"Thank you." Frisk took them. Sans was leaving again. "Wait!"

"What do you want now?!" He snapped. "I let you take a shower and now you expect me to do everything for you?"

"Can you stay with me while I get dressed? Um..." Frisk had trouble asking the question correctly due to him snapping at her. So now that sounded weird. Her brain stopped processing for a moment.

"Uhh...why?" He questioned. "Can't you do anything on your own?"

"J-just turn around and stay here! I just don't want to be alone..." Frisk answered. She feels weird ordering someone around that would just willingly kill her.

"Fine." He turned around and tried to focus on the patterns of chipped paint on the wall across from him to distract himself. He wondered why she wanted to be around him when he had hurt her so much. She really made no sense to him.

Frisk watched him for a moment. Then she turned around to remove the towel. It hit the floor. She started to get dressed. She felt awkward. "You better not peek at me! I swear..."

"I'm not!" He yelled. "Just get dressed already!”

"Don't ever leave me alone again..." Frisk had the hoodie on. She was starting to put her legs into the bottoms. She feels a bit conflicted. Sans hadn't been the nicest either. But... Chara....

"You must have forgotten I'm a lady." She added in a naggy tone. "Chara... He could have barged in and taken me without caring." She shuddered from the thought of what happened earlier. Biting her tongue, she fought back any tears that were about to come from her eyes. It definitely was a realistic hallucination. She feels stupid for even nagging Sans like this because he could possibly be the same way, but… he isn’t. His back is turned. Actually, respecting her. No hands on her or anything.

"If you're going to be like that would you rather I go everywhere with you?" He asked in a grumpy tone. "In the bathroom too since you're so helpless?" He ignored the fact that he was getting flustered again. "You seriously can't even do that much on your own?"

"I-I...! W-well!" Frisk started to get more flustered. "You can! I mean! Just be turned around like you are now! Only because of Chara!" She had finished getting into the clothes but she didn't tell Sans to turn around just yet. She was trying to compose herself. "I only say that because you haven't been peeking this whole time so I guess I trust you better than him?"

"You're way too trusting then." He laughed. "You really shouldn't trust either one of us. Not that I would peek or anything, but how would you know?"

"You just said you wouldn't peek or anything." Frisk teased. "You've been doing a good job at that." She tossed her towel over to the top of his head and giggled.

Sans just grunted and grabbed the towel off of his head. "Are you done yet?"

"Yes, I am." She laughed some more. "Thanks for being respectful and lending me your clothes." She poses to present herself in the baggy clothes as he turned around.

"Yeah..." He couldn't help but wonder how she was acting so happy with everything she had been through.

Everything...that he put her through.

Chapter Text

Sans decided to change the subject. "Here." He went over to the table and grabbed the hotdog. He held them out to her. "There was more but...I ate one while you were showering.”

Frisk stared at the hotdog a bit. She didn't take it yet. She was a bit spaced out. Her mind was racing from anxious thoughts.

Sans waved his free hand in front of her face.

"Oh." Frisk delicately took the hotdog from Sans. Not realizing her hand subtly brushed against his. Sans felt how soft her skin felt. She looked up at him with a kind smile. "You have my gratitude."

"Just eat the food." He sat down on the far end of the couch so he wasn't too close to her.

Chomp.

Frisk took her first bite. Recollections started to pour into her head from 7 years ago. How Sans would joke about hotdogs. He'd place one on her head and she'd get annoyed that there would be crumbs all over her hair.

Tears started to pour out of Frisk's eyes. Making the hotdog taste saltier. "This brings back memories..."

Her reminiscences of those times were a lot happier than Sans's. Even if she missed them, she still saw them as good times. Sans didn't think so fondly of them. That time before everything fell apart always put him in a sour mood looking back on his past self.

Knowing that Frisk missed those times he was able to feel it too. Those memories did hold something that was dear to him. To the real him anyway. Those were times when everything was so much more simple and pure.

"I think I know what you mean." He still tried to mask the emotion in his voice. "I remember it too."

More tears come out with each bite. She started to giggle to herself. She just recalled something.

"What are you laughing about?" He asked in a grumpy tone.

"I mustard you a question: Do you like hot dogs?" Frisk kept laughing.

Sans paused for a second and then started to laugh too. "I love hot dogs...from my head tomatoes."

Frisk looked at him with a little bit of shock. She wasn't expecting him to reply like.... that. "Sans." Her eyes started to water again. "Haha... That was a good one."

She paused a moment.

Frisk takes Sans's hand and looks at him through her tears. "I'm just glad... there's still good in you. I never thought we'd talk like this again."

She doesn't know how many days she's been down here already. Possibly a month? She's unsure at this point. She's dealt with a great deal of Sans's abuse and insanity. Yet, here he is. Letting her shower. Clothing her. Feeding her. Now, joking too? She couldn't seem to stop crying.

Sans looked to the side as he felt a strong feeling of guilt. He remembered all the times he hurt her. All the terrible things he put her through. Recalling her pleading expressions. The bruises he marked onto her prior. It made his SOUL ache. It was a strong feeling of conviction. It was hard to shake off. Now, he doesn't know what he wants. It's like there are two sides of him that keep fighting. That other urge that it was pleasing to him. Yet, it feels like that satisfaction wasn’t really himself. It was hurting his head.

"I don't know where you got that idea from." He smiled, but there was sadness in his eyes. "There's no good in me."

"That's not true. I can feel it." Frisk squeezed his hand into hers. She felt a little shy doing so. Those hands.... murdered who knows how many. Yet, they aren't threatening to hurt her now.

"What happened to you...?" Frisk stared at him. "Why are you like this? Why... did you kill? And...." She bit her lip to try to stop herself from crying. "Hurt me so many times?"

"I don't think you can understand," He started. "When you left...things went downhill. I guess I kind of lost it and acted without thinking.” His expression started to change. His eyes widened and had big eerie smile on his face. “But then I saw Papyrus again somehow! And he made everything make sense!"

"Papyrus? What do you mean? Where is he?" Frisk asked in a shaky voice.

Sans's hand started to tremble in her's. "He's-" His voice trailed off and he pulled his hand away, putting it on his head with a pained expression. "I don't want to kill her! Stop!"

"S-Sans?!" Frisk's eyes widened. She tried to put her hand onto his shoulder. "What's wrong?!"

A figure appeared hovering in the air. He looked like Papyrus, but more threatening. He looked like a demon. Somehow, Frisk could see him. He didn't say anything. Just hovered there smiling.

Sans pushed Frisk back and made it so she couldn't move. He was smiling, but he didn't look like he was enjoying himself. His eyes showed fear.

"Papyrus?!" Frisk winced as she couldn't move. "Why?! What are you doing to him?!"

"HE TRIED TO GO AGAINST ME. IF HE NO LONGER WISHES TO KILL I HAVE TO TAKE THINGS INTO MY OWN HANDS."

Sans's hands made their way to Frisk's throat, and he started to choke her. "I don't want to-"

"SANS," Papyrus interrupted. "YOU HAVE TO DO THIS."

Frisk grunted and tried to struggle to speak. "Pap...y...rus... Would.... never... do... this!!" She glared at whatever that thing was possessing Sans.

"DON'T LISTEN TO HER. SHE'S LYING TO YOU TO SAVE HER OWN LIFE. IT IS ME."

Sans was conflicted. He didn't want to be left alone again. He didn't want to risk anything. Despite everything, Frisk was always nice to him. But Papyrus was putting thoughts into his head. He was struggling to fight for control of his own mind.

"You.... don't need... to... do this...." Frisk coughed. "I'm... here... now... I... can f-fix it." Her hands are shaking. She sees Sans's eyes. They looked conflicted to her. "I... can help... you-"

Sans squeezed her neck harder so she couldn't talk. She couldn't breathe. "I won't do it..."

Papyrus's control on him seemed to lessen because Frisk was able to breathe again. "You should run while you can. I don't know how much longer I can stay like this! I might kill you!"

A bunch of raspy coughs came out of her mouth. As she regains her composure. She didn’t flee. Why? Then he felt something warm onto his face.

"No. It'll be alright." Frisk’s hands were on his cheeks. "I'm not going anywhere. If you kill me, I'll be alright." She softly sobbed. "I just know this isn't YOU doing this willingly."

Sans closed his eyes like he was in pain and went to grab her hand. He started to cry too, and his grip tightened on her hand. He started trying to break it, all the while fighting to stop himself.

Hearing her yelp in pain, his grip relaxed. He didn't completely let go. Hot tears just poured from his eyes sockets. He just continued to cry. He wanted to feel that she was there still. That he wasn't alone. It was comforting to him.

"I'm sorry, Sans." Frisk didn't hesitate but held him closely. She cried along with him. She kept apologizing over and over. "I'm sorry... That I left... I... didn't realize I could RESET as I reached the barrier. I tried but.... All I can remember was that I was in a coma.... all this time... I'm sorry, you're right. I am really helpless. Weak. I should have been stronger. I wanted to RESET... to bring Asgore back." Her tears soaked his shoulder. "But I lost so much more. So have you. You're right to blame me. I deserve it. I was supposed to be the Underground's savior but I failed..."

Sans felt even more guilty than before for everything he had done. In his eyes, he truly was terrible. She didn't deserve the way he hurt her. She didn't deserve any of it. Her blaming herself like this was unnecessary. Her hands wasn’t the ones who brought casualties in the Underground. It was his. Just so he could stop the cycle with Chara’s repeated genocides.

"You don't have to stay here anymore..." He started. "You can leave now. I know you probably want to. But...I also don't want you to leave. After everything I've done...do you want to stay with me?"

"That wasn't you..." Frisk shook her head. She wouldn't let go of him. Her arms stroked his back in a comforting manner.

But Frisk didn't realize one thing. Sans did willingly kill before that 'Papyrus' entity appeared. Sure, he did feel a heavy guilt each time...

Not until....

'Papyrus' showed up.

(Whatever that was... I know it's evil... I can't leave Sans like this.) Frisk didn't realize she was kind of snuggling against Sans. Feeling her warmth, Sans had a subtle blush across his cheeks. He felt like he didn’t merit her being close to him like this. Yet, he found himself also delicately wrapping his arms around her. He didn’t want to do that, but something inside of him just was yearning to be close to her.

(I have always... loved him... Recently, my heart did break. I thought I didn't love him anymore...) Frisk thought.

Seeing Sans change to be someone so cruel, she wasn't sure anymore. Also wasn't sure if it is a good idea to continue loving him despite the fact his arms are also around her.

But seeing Sans this way. That internal struggle. His eyes. His sobs. It was him.

The old Sans.

"I will save you. I'm staying here." Frisk continued. "I want to bring everyone back."

(Why is she being so nice to me?) He wondered. The way she acted towards him was just so nice even though he did terrible things.

For her kindness, he felt like he owed her something. He found it hard to think of anything that would equal up to what she had done for him. There was no way for him to properly repay her. "If you want me to I will help you. It's probably the least I can do to make up for what I did..."

"Sans." Frisk backed up. "You're probably aware on how you can help..." She looks away. "My power... it only happens when I'm about to die... So what I'm trying to say is-"

He shook his head. "I can't help you like that. I don't know what would happen if I killed you...I could lose control again."

"Are you sure?" Frisk asked. "This could be all over already-"

“I can’t do that to you. I don’t..Want to.” Sans looked away.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking of how hard it would be for you right now." She sighed. Then she looked up at him with a semi flirty wink. "I really warmed up to you again, haven't I?"

Sans's face got a slight blush. "I guess you have. You're way too good at making friends with everyone." He didn't feel Papyrus there anymore. It was almost like he had been freed for a while.

"So we're friends again?!" Frisk exclaimed in excitement. "I'm so glad! So glad..." Some happy tears come out again. "Aghhh! Sorry! I keep crying! Hahah!"

"It's alright I guess," he said. "It makes sense that you're emotional. Heck, I was just crying too." He chuckled. "And...I do consider you a friend now so..."

"Thank you. And, Sans?" Frisk stood up.

"Hm?" He looked up at her.

"I forgive you." Frisk had a compassionate smile.

Sans stared in shock, and then smiled. He didn't really understand it, but he was grateful nonetheless. He stood up and grabbed her hand with a warm smile still on his face.

Frisk felt her face blush. His hand feels really warm. Like... He had a heart again.

Compared to how they felt so cold earlier.

....

Noelle and Asriel have been traveling together. One moment, they both had grown tired as they were sitting down. The warmth of Noelle's head was against Asriel's shoulder. She was sleeping soundly. She was unconsciously gripping his shirt.

Asriel started to stir in his sleep. He felt a warmth closeby, and opened his eyes. When he saw Noelle leaning against him he started to blush again, but he didn't move. "N-Noelle?"

"Mmm." Noelle clinged closer to Asriel. "5 more minutes...." She mumbled. Unaware.

"Ok..." He hesitated and then snuggled up closer to her. "You can rest some more." Her body felt warm against him.

Noelle's sleeping face looks so peaceful. Adorable. He smiled. His expression changed to something childlike. "You're my favorite person ever!"

Noelle heard some sounds. She was regaining consciousness. Her eyes slowly opened. She was in a bit of a sleepy daze. Not realizing a thing yet. She yawned, making Asriel aware.

"Oh! You're awake!" He smiled nervously. "Did you rest well? Feeling better now?"

"Eh?" Noelle just realized what she is doing. She slowly backs away, super flustered. (Oh my gosh. How did this happen?!)

"Wait!" Asriel grabbed her and scooted himself closer to her. His expression changed again. "Don't move yet!" He put his head on her shoulder.

"Wh-what-" Noelle started stuttering a lot. She felt super hot. "Why- I mean, what are you d-doing?"

For some reason. Well, obvious reasons, her SOUL is pounding a lot.

"I just like being close to you!" He said in a childlike way. It was like his tone changed again. This was bizarre. "Is that...alright? That's not weird, is it?"

"I-it's not that I mind. I mean! Gah!" Noelle looked away. "B-but, why all of a sudden?"

"Because you're my favorite person! And my best friend! Well...you're my only friend...but that doesn't matter!" He blushed again. "You're enough for me!"

"Wh-what?" Noelle backed a little away due to being shy. Only for Asriel to cuddle her even more. "E-er! Fr-friends... um... don't do stuff... l-like this?? Ah!" She falls over onto the ground just because she's becoming a spazz. It only made things worse for her.

Asriel just laid down beside her, not seeming to realize how weird that is. "They don't? That's weird! Are you ok? You look a little...not ok. Is it because I'm being too weird for you? If so I'm sorry about that!" He kept talking really fast due to his excitement.

Noelle was a bit speechless. There was a bit of hair in her face. "W-well, this stuff usually um-"

Asriel pushed the hair out of her face. "What is it? You can tell me!" She could feel his breath on her face. His gentle gestures conflict with his upbeat personality change.

Noelle blinked. Her heart felt fluttery from his touch. "I-it's hard to tell... but you're doing it right now..."

(I can't believe how oblivious he is! But what if I.... do the same...?)

"I'll show you." She blushed some more. Her face draws a bit closer to his. Then put her hand onto his ear. Yet she couldn't meet his eyes. "H-how do you feel?"

His face got redder, but he kept his smile. "I feel nice! Really happy and soft like a marshmallow! Do you...also feel like a fluffy marshmallow?"

Noelle huffed and just sat straight up. "I-I'm being serious! Blah! Forget it!"

(Maybe it's just me.) She thought sadly. (I'm just thinking too far into it. I probably am his first friend...)

Asriel sat up too, but he didn't get too close to her this time. "I was being serious too...maybe that wasn't a good way to describe it." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It's more like...you make me feel really happy and forget about the bad things."

His eyes started a water a little. "I'm not very good at this, am I? I'm trying to be a good friend but I just made you uncomfortable. I mean, it's understandable with what I did."

He had a look in his eyes like his mind was somewhere else. He shook his head. He didn't know if he could ever shake the guilt. To him, Noelle meant everything. She was his world. He just wanted to be close to her all the time. He felt bad for acting like that. He felt a bit strange.

"Can I make it up to you somehow?" He asked. "Is there something I can do to make you not mad anymore?"

Noelle didn't realize Asriel was tearing up. She put her hands onto her sides. "I-I'm not mad. I'm just being dumb. I'm glad I make you happy..."

She sighed. "You're a good friend and I was just taking to too far. I misunderstood."

(He's definitely more innocent than he looks. He didn’t act like that before. It’s odd… Why does he seem…Off at times? Or is it because he’s just becoming more friendly! I'm the wrong one here! Blah!)

"I don't think you're dumb." He put his head in his paws and looked at the ground. "I'm misunderstanding a lot too. I've...never really done this before so I'm just a little too excited." He sniffled. "Actually!" He got a sad smile. "I did have a friend once! But it's not that way now. And plus he was more like a brother to me. It felt...different than the feeling I have when I'm around you. I can't really explain it."

Noelle turned as she heard Asriel sniffle. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you..." She rubbed her arm. "It's ok. Don't worry about me. It's fine."

The last statement she lied with, but she didn't want to kill his excitement. It seems like he sounded so alone before.

That brother... She slightly remembers Chara making a statement towards him. Was he really...?

She wanted to ask about the feeling, but she's probably misunderstanding him again. That's what she thinks, at least. She took a lot of guts getting close to him like that earlier, but she regrets it now. She even made him hurt by her reacting the way she did.

He didn't understand why she was apologizing to him when he was the one who had done so much wrong. It seems he didn't understand a lot of things. When he was meaner, it was almost like the thoughts weren't his own. Now that he was back in his right mind though, he felt like a scared little kid. He was still a kid at heart. It was like there was two conflicting minds. Flowey’s?

"I'm ok too. You don't need to apologize!" He smiled and wiped his eyes, feeling bad for crying.

"Are you positive?" Noelle looked at him. Keeping her distance a little bit from him.

"I mean, I know you wanted to be close to me... But um... I'm a grown lady." She tried explaining calmly like an adult to child. "And you're innocent??" She realized she was horrible at explaining. "If you do that to all your future friends, they might think you want a stronger relationship with all of them. Does that make sense?"

Asriel's face looked like that was news to him. "It does make sense..." His eyes widened. "But...what if I want to promote you again?" He kind of mumbled that last part.

"Promote? That... doesn't work that way. You can't just do that." Noelle kept her tone kind. "These things are taken seriously." She kind of laughed.

"Ah." He fidgeted a little. It did hurt him to hear that, but he respected her not wanting to do that. It made his heart ache since he of course blamed himself. "D-do you think that one day..." He hid his face. "Never mind. I understand now."

He really didn't.

"You do?" Noelle tilted her head. "What were you trying to say?"

"It's not important," he said with a sad smile. "It was something dumb."

"Aw, don't say that." Noelle reassured. "I'm sure it was very smart!"

And childish. Sigh.

"No, no! You probably don't want to hear it right now!" He waved his paws to get his point across. "Don't worry about it! It's really nothing."

"Aw, ok. I won't force it out of you." Noelle sadly smiled. But she is worried. "I want to continue searching for my friends... Maybe you can be friends with them too!"

(And hopefully not cuddle them if that's how he acts around close friends.) Thoughts of jealousy came to her mind.

"That would be nice!" He stood up. "I hope they aren't scared of me...and that no one tries to kill us again..." He looked down at her hand. "Can friends hold hands during adventures?"

"Well... um... couples only do that..." Noelle mumbled. She feels like she's strongly being friend zoned. There was a lot of confusion in her mind. She thought they were growing closer to each other. Yet, he’s acting like a kid all of a sudden. It made no sense to her. Where did that maturity go?

"Oh..." He remembered earlier when they had held hands. "I guess I won't do that then..."

They continued to walk to look for their friends...awkwardly.

...

After a while of searching, they came across Sans and Frisk. Asriel stepped in front of Noelle when he saw Sans.

"Calm down." Sans couldn't meet their eyes. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Noelle hid behind Asriel's back. Staying kind of close to him enough for him to feel her warmth.

"He's telling the truth." Frisk defended calmly with a smile.

Asriel still didn't move away from her, but he relaxed a little. Her warmth calmed him down too. "Ok..."

Sans smiled at Frisk defending him. It made him feel better about the whole situation. He still felt guilty being around them though.

"Frisk?" Noelle recognized the voice and pops her head from Asriel. "You're alive!"

She runs over to her. Hugs her. That nearly knocked Frisk off of her feet.

"Kris... she... died..." Noelle sobbed. "Please, have you seen Ralsei?"

Frisk looked over at Sans sadly. Then back at Noelle. "Ralsei... Sans didn't kill him... Chara...." Her lips trembled. "Ralsei's dead."

"N-no...." Noelle looks like she's on the verge of another breakdown. She started to scream and bawl loudly. Frisk couldn't help but cry too.

"I tried to keep him alive... I'm sorry." Frisk sobbed.

Asriel instinctively went to reach for her hand but stopped himself. (She's upset. She doesn't want her hand held. She doesn't want cuddles. I should just stand here like the adult that I am.)

But once again, her crying really got to him. Her heart was really hurting. She had lost yet another friend. The childish side of Asriel's brain was shutting down again.

He turned to her and embraced her in a hug, allowing her to just cry it out in his arms.

Noelle didn't seem to mind being held like that. It felt gentle and comforting. But it only made her cry more to release all of her grief.

"Don't worry..." Frisk sniffled. "I'll bring them back. I will RESET somehow... Someway. If I could do it now, I would."

She knows no one in this area would willingly kill her.

(Hopefully, I'll find another way not to bring anyone pain....)

"Frisk." Asriel started to talk, but still didn't let go of Noelle. "Me and Flowey are sort of combined now, so I know what happened that caused you to leave.” There was that flash of change in his eyes. “I'm...really sorry.”

It was Flowey.

Sans glared at Asriel. "You tried to kill her?!"

"Yes, but-" Asriel tried to speak again.

"If you try anything like that again I won't hesitate to kill you," Sans threatened. "It won't be a quick death either. I can tear you apart and keep you alive for most of it."

Asriel didn't move away from Noelle, but she could feel him start to tremble against her.

"Wh-what about you? You tried to kill Frisk too!" Noelle stammered.

"Well...!" He tried to think of an excuse. "We're friends now, and I don't want anyone to do what I did!" He said awkwardly.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," Asriel mumbled.

"I'm still watching you closely though," Sans said. "One wrong move and I'll-"

"Sans!" Frisk stood in front of him. "It's alright. I'm sure he's trustworthy too since he's keeping Noelle safe."

"How would we know though?!" He snapped. "They could be tricking us."

"We're not!" Asriel argued. "Noelle is my friend! And plus, I don't want to hurt anyone anymore!"

"Didn't he say that this 'Flowey' part of Asriel did it? It seems he's sorry. But Asriel didn't do it!" Noelle continued. She feels more confusion the fact there’s two beings inside Asriel. It was hard to tell who was who.

"Hey..." Frisk calmly touched Sans's arms in comfort. "It's alright. I can tell Flowey has a change of heart."

"But it's still Flowey! We can't risk having him around you!" Then he looked at Asriel. He looked so guilty. It made Sans feel a little bad since he wasn't exactly nice either.

Asriel just stayed silent as he held onto Noelle. It seemed he was just waiting to see what Sans would do.

"Fine." Sans sighed. "Frisk...be careful, ok?"

"I really appreciate your concern, Sans." Frisk smiled. "It actually makes me happy. But it's fine. We can all be friends here."

(Sans is sweet... in his own way right now..)

"I hope so," he responded. He couldn’t help but feel like a hypocrite. If he is given a chance, why shouldn’t Asriel? It was like he had a strong urge to protect Frisk. Perhaps it was always there. Just clouded by ‘Papyrus’s’ control.

Asriel took a step back from Noelle finally. He could feel strong emotions coming from his Flowey part, but he couldn't tell what they meant. They felt like good emotions.

"Thank you. I know it's hard to trust me." He smiled nervously.

"I trust you." Noelle looked at him while wiping her last tear off of her cheek. "But... who's Flowey?"

"It's a bit of a long story." Frisk commented.

"Oh, he's kind of like me!" Asriel said. "But without a soul at first. Now he's more like...a second personality that I have. He's so serious. But he wants to be friends with you too, Noelle! I can feel it!"

"Oh."

Well, that explains the mood swings at times.

"I'd like to meet him sometime then?" Noelle felt weird saying that.

"I'm sure you will someday!" He chimed.

Sans stepped up beside Frisk. "Look, Frisk. I know I shouldn't have said that, but I just...right now I can't lose you." He got a little flustered. "I will try to be better. Please, don't let your guard down."

Frisk's heart had fluttered and she blushed a smidge. "Oh my. It's quite alright."

She looked over at Asriel and Noelle talking. "Flowey killed me a number of times back then. But... I knew giving him mercy would change his point of view." Then she looked at Sans. "You won't lose me. As long as I'm down here, I'll always come back for you."

"But why?" He asked. "I hurt you so many times. No one in their right mind would want to go so far to be around me!"

"I know you feel guilty." Frisk answered. "But you. You didn't choose to hurt me so much. It wasn't your fault."

The thoughts of Sans smacking her in the face. Pushing her down. All sorts of abusive things. Her face was in agony.

Yet she always looked like she believed in him despite his actions. She was treated less than a person. Her clothes were nearly falling apart due to all his attacks prior to healing. All of that, raced through Sans's mind again. He feels terrible. Horrible.

"Sans?" Frisk looked at him. He seemed zoned out in his thoughts.

Sans shook his head. "Just thinking about a lot of things." Even though he was controlled for the time he was with Frisk, he had killed willingly before that. He knew in his mind that he still would kill freely. He had even just threatened Asriel, and meant every word. In his mind, he was a bad person. He just had a friend who was a good person.

"Well, if you ever need to talk about anything, I can listen." Frisk replied, as she moved hair out of her face.

Sans never really gotten a good look at Frisk before. Or noticed.

That look of kindness in her eyes that he always despised before. All of a sudden, he didn't mind it anymore. They reminded him of the golden buttercups he sometimes saw. Throughout all her struggles they still had the same compassionate look. They looked beautiful.

"Your eyes..." Sans started. "How do they still shine like nothing has happened to you?" He was staring at her now with a melancholy look on his face.

"I'll be honest..." Frisk sighed. "When Chara had me.... I...." She shuddered and touched the parts of the scars he put onto her body. With his name on it. He cut his name in all sorts of places. Her arm. Her stomach. Legs. Others she doesn’t want to think of.

She started to tremble and tear up. "I was losing my determination. I was so terrified... He...."

She couldn't even say it.

He sighed. "You don't have to tell me what he did if you don't want to. I don't know if I really want to know everything anyway. You got it back. Your determination. I don't understand how."

"Because you came for me." Frisk smiled to him through her tears. "Even though you weren't the kindest to me before... You still took care of me. You restored my hope." She wiggled her arms around. "You let me have your clothes too!" She grinned to stop thinking about the trauma she went through.

"Yeah..." Sans blushed a little as he smiled. "You look good in them."

Frisk blinked in surprise at the compliment. She felt herself start to blush so she hid her face a little bit. "Thank you."

Usually, she isn't too shy to wink or flirt a little bit. But having anything affectionate in return turns her into a flustered mess.

He chuckled at her bashful state. (She actually looks good in anything...) He thought to himself. He realized that he had so many questions for her. Things he wanted to say. But he felt too guilty to speak out about them.

"Frisk, I-" His voice was interrupted.

Chapter Text

Chara has been teleporting everywhere. Searching constantly for Frisk. He would breathe heavily and have a crazy expression.

Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk. Frisk.

ψ Frȉ̸̮͓sk. ̴̬̹̚Fr̷͖͊isk. ̴Frisk. Fri̴͝sk. ̶̟͛Frȉ̴̜̳̰sk. F̴risk. ̴̺̬̔̂ ⛧

Finally, he found her.

But.

She was blushing around Sans. Sans was reaching out to her. An expression that Chara didn't see Frisk do towards him.

Chara's face twisted into a yandere rage. A knife of his barely hit Sans's face.

"Ah!" Frisk jumped at that.

Sans didn't take damage from it due to dodging, but he stared at the knife pointed at his face in shock. He took a slow step back.

"Chara." Sans's eyes went dark.

"Frisk." Chara looked towards Frisk in an eerie way. "Are you cheating on me?"

Frisk stays by Sans. She gave a glare. "We never were together!"

"My name." Chara's eye gooped with black. "It's on you. All over you. I gave myself to you. You are MINE." He stepped forward creepily.

Asriel stayed by Noelle, glaring at Chara. He saw the scared expression on her face and felt a strong need to protect her from any dangers. (I WILL protect her from any dangers!) He looked down at her hand.

(Friends don't hold hands. Friends don't hold hands. Friends don't hold hands.)

(...)

(Best friends can hold hands!)

Nope. He still didn't understand.

Sans stepped in front of Frisk. "She doesn't belong to anyone. She's a person with a mind of her own!"

"Shut up." Chara snapped. "I wasn't talking to YOU." He laughed. "Frisk. You don't need anyone but ME. I would ⛧ k̸̡̹̯͑̇̄͒ͅi̶̧̙̼͕̾͂l̶̖͚͓̅̋̎́̑͜l̶̙̜͗ ̸̭̾f̵̡͍̻̝͚͛̽ŏ̶̡̠̭ȑ̵͉̥ ̶̨̻̲͙͗̓ÿ̸̹́ŏ̸͙͚͇̽ṷ̵̫̟̩̺̋̒̐ ☠”

His eyes glowed eerily. He saw his weakest victim. Noelle. His poor old brother didn't stand a chance to protect her. Frisk tried to yell out in warning. Chara heavily damaged Noelle in a blink of an eye, she shrieked out in pain as she collapsed to the ground.

Asriel immediately got down beside Noelle, his grip tightening on her hand. "Noelle!" His own heart was pounding so loudly that he could hear it. He brought her hand up to his face as he started to cry due to his fear.

☠ ⛥̷͕̏ ̸͕̝̈́⛥̴̪͉͒͝ ̵̙̞̈́T̴̢͈̉͋h̴͔͒ere̷̩͆ ̸̖̙͛w̶̯̋as ̵̝̂͠ḁ̵̎̎ f̵͈̓a̴͇̣͠m̸̬͂̚il̷̝͊i̶̡̟͆ȁ̸̲̠r̴̥̝̋̕ ̴͖͝v̴̼͉͑͗oic̴̞͑ȇ̴̬̲͌ ̸͓͔̅s̴͉͕̍p̵̻͊è̴͍̤a̶͕k̴̮̠̚͠ì̵̺n̴̢͙̎̇g̵̩̓ ṭ̶̐͜o̸͖͑͝ Sa̶̭͛͗ns̸͈̮̒ ̸͚͎̾⛥̵̥̓ ̷̞̤̅ψ ☠

"SANS. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO FINALLY ψ K̶̬͌͘I̴̮̫͐L̴̙̲̈́L̴̬̆͝ ⛧ AGAIN. KILLING CHARA IS WANT YOU WANT. ☠ W̵H̵Y̸ ̷D̵O̴N̵'̴T̶ ̴Y̵O̴U̶ ̶K̶I̴L̴L̸ ̴H̸I̴M̷?̴"̴ ⛧

"You're not even my brother, are you?" Sans asked. "My brother would never act like this!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO I AM. YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE. YOU'RE STILL BAD INSIDE."

Sans shook his head as a creepy smile spread across his face. "I'm not like that...anymore," he forced out while holding his head.

"STOP RESISTING. YOU CAN'T FIGHT THIS FOREVER."

"No..." He summoned a bone and aimed it towards Chara. "I'm fighting for a different reason now."

⛧ ⛥̴̨̧̛͓̼̪̫̫̝̠̲̣̻̺̗̥̦̜͉̞̺͔̝̃̊̌͛̃̈́͌͜͝ͅ ̴̥̳̩̍̏̓̏͋̔͂̏́̈̑̅̾̽͋̑̂͑̽̅͠⛥̵̙͈̱͔̗̬̦̗̗̘̗̹̞̏̒̓̎ ̶̡̛̛͔͕͙̱̻̬̼͔̺̩̽̈́̊͂͆̋͛͒̄͛̓́̈̆͜⛥̵̧̲̤̺̹̅̓̋͋̉̊͂̈́͛̏̓̐̅̇͗͘͝ ̸̡̟̰̩͈͎̯̺̠͈͌̈́̔͆͌̍͛̚̚͜"̴̡̛̺͉̪̠͕͙̪̉͋̈́͛͊̽͋̀̑͒͆͂̒́̃̈͝S̶̛̫̤̗̰͉͉͈͓̊̑̑̑̏̋̋̈́̈̎Ă̵̢̛͍̦̜̽̄̂͛̅̀̓̀̈̄̌̌̇̋̓̕͘N̵̢̧̢̨̡̮͎̦͈͚͙̫̲̻̼̺͇̟̱͕͑͌̔̓̉̐̏͌̐̀͊̃͗̓̕̕͠͠ͅS̴̛̼͕̥͙̮͓̪͚̗̞̼͔͂̾͑̇̌͐͂̄̐͒͑̍̂̿͠͝͝͝!̶̘͚̥̻̬͈̇̐͌̋̊̓̎͛̽͆̾̋́̃͋̌̌̂͗͂̚ͅ"̶̝͕̯͈̪̪̭̳̩̣̯̥̬̗̊͒̅̈̂̊͐͛̅͋̆͊̂̊͌̏̓͊ ̸̧̢̲̯͙̭͈͔̜͍͕̜̳͚̎̔̏̉̿͐͘͝͝⛧̸̡̛̖͕̟̣͙̗̥̺͙̜͍̗̰̥̖̺͕̩͖͓̠̮́̉̎̈́͋̔͗͂͛͋̄̃̀̏̈́̔̔̿̚͘͝ ̴̧̘̻̦̠̻̲̯͎͇̼̊͐͐̏̓̊̊̑̾̎̓͐̈́͆̈̓̇́͘͘̚⛧̷̧̨͔̭͈̲̞͚͇̝̟͚̦̯͈̰͓͑̇̊̈̇͌͆͆̃̓̓̚ ̸̨̢̮̰̩̼̩̝͕̰͉͐͐̆̓̊̆̄̉̈́͑☠̴̨̧̩̽̽̽̎̉̌̏̌̈́͆̔̂̽͒̔͌͂͘ ⛧

"As....r...i.." Noelle struggled to open her eyes and looked at Asriel. She felt like she was in a lot of pain. If only she could protect again. Make a barrier. She tried her hardest, only to feel more hurt.

"Don't do that!" He grabbed her other hand and held them tightly, making her unable to summon any magic. "You'll hurt yourself more!" His tears kept falling. "Any attacks will have to hit me first. I can't let you get hurt again..."

"B-but..." Noelle knows her magic has been weak lately. She is stubborn and continued to keep trying.

Chara goes to attack Asriel and Noelle after dodging Sans's attacks.

"No! Stop!" Frisk yelled out. She could very well run into Chara's attacks, but Sans stops her from doing so. "B-but we need to protect them!"

Sans growled as he kept trying to hit Chara.

Chara's attacks were too fast for Sans to keep up. Asriel picked Noelle up and hurried to dodge, only getting a few minor cuts. He winced in pain.

Noelle can barely look at Asriel. She had a sad expression. (I just need to....!)

She mustered up her power as hard as she could to help heal Asriel as Chara was slashing towards him again.

Frisk kept clinging onto Sans’s sleeve while he summoned more bones to shield Noelle and Asriel.

Asriel looked down at Noelle. "Stop!" He pleaded. "I'm fine! Stop trying to heal me!"

"No...You're...hurt....!" Noelle fought through her pain and was able to heal portions of him. She gasped in pain.

Chara noticed Frisk clinging to Sans as she smiled at him. Chara's eyes looked insane. "You.....!"

He charged towards Sans.

Sans grabbed Frisk and jumped out of the way, pulling her with him. He had an arm protectively around her. He could feel her heart pounding in a rapid rate.

Something different flashed in Asriel's eyes than Noelle was used to. Flowey had taken over. He smiled to calm Noelle despite his worries.

"You don't need to do this for us," Flowey said. "Asriel will be fine with some little cuts. You, on the other hand, don't have the energy to spare."

Noelle was a little confused with him talking in third person. "B-but..." She winced in pain when she tried to reach for him. She clinged to his shirt as he carried her.

Chara lashed out the knife in a murderous way towards Sans. "Only I can hold her like that!!"

Frisk held onto Sans closely as she watched him defending her. She looks at Chara. "Why must you do this?!"

"I found a new purpose! To just be together!" Chara laughed. "Just you and me! No one else matters! The world can be erased!!"

She didn't understand why Chara is the way he is. Perhaps he really is just a serial killer. A psychopath. Another upcoming attack went towards them. She kept clinging to Sans. He could feel Frisk tremble. He had never seen her so terrified.

The sound of a knife hitting against bone filled the air as Sans deflected yet another attack. "We won't let you do that! Why can't you just accept that she doesn't like you?!"

"I know you must be confused," Flowey continued. "I'm not Asriel. I'm Flowey. I know this might be a bad time to bring this up, but I couldn't sit in silence anymore. Asriel is sort of an idiot." He laughed. "He loves you, but he doesn't understand those feelings or how they work. I...can't say that I don't feel them too." His cheeks turned red.

"Wh-what?" Noelle's eyes watered. "So... I..."

(Who do I have feelings for? Aren't they the same person?) She feels overwhelmingly confused. But she felt too weak to respond to those feelings.

"Joker!! YOU̴ ̴ALWÂ̴͙͜YS TAKE̴ EVE̴RYTHIN̷̯͖̑G AW̵̻͆͜AY ̴̛FR̴OM ME, DON’̷͕̓́T Y̴̚OU̴?"

Chara's voice warped. It sounded so chilling.

"Whatever your reasoning is, Chara, we must stop this madness!" Frisk slightly parted from Sans. "We... Don't wish to kill you! Even Sans is fighting it!" Despite the horrible things he had done to Frisk that no man should have done to a woman. She feels like an idiot, but no matter what he’s done to her, she always sees that mercy can be a way.

"Oh, naive, Frisk." Chara chuckled. "I would have killed Sans already if it weren't for his level! H̶ͅĕ̷̤ nę̴̤͝ed̶̖̱̽s ̴̧̞͙͒t̴o get ̴awă̴̌y f̴̌̈́̒ͅṟ̴̛̿ǫ̶̏m̴ you̸̧͛̾!̶̬̂

"Noelle and Asriel! They don't wish to fight you either! Can't you accept this act of mercy? End this in peace?!" Frisk yelled out as Chara had a bloodthirsty look on his face as he darted towards Sans in anger.

Sans used an attack to push Chara back again. "It would be better for you if you just accepted her mercy! This is definitely not the way to win a girl's heart!"

Frisk offered her trembling hand out to Chara. Just like how she's done towards Flowey. Those memories come back to him as the same expression she gave to him when Flowey fought her. Yet, it was a different feeling. She felt like crying. Someone who doesn’t deserve mercy, she’s offering for peace. To forget about everything that has happened.

She wants to.

Forget.

Flowey stared at Frisk a little as he started to feel guilty again. She had offered him mercy and he backstabbed her. He tried to focus on Noelle instead, who was in a great deal of pain.

Chara started to laugh at the notion. "Sweet, sweet, Frisk."

Abruptly, Chara teleported in front of Frisk. He took her hand that she was offering and pulled her closely to him. Frisk strained to get away but Chara's grip tighten onto her. He had knives pointing to her back, readying to stab her at any moment.

"You don't have a choice. You are mine" Chara tries to forcefully kiss her. "This isn't the first time we kissed. Why resist?"

"Don't do this!" Frisk's anxiety skyrocketed. How foolish of her to even think of sparing this man? This repulsive man who violated her so? The way he touches her now even makes her want to get into a panic attack.

"No one will take you from me." His lips barely brushed against hers, but she bit her lips inward to stop that from happening.

"Get away from her!" Sans yelled. A bone came out of the ground in between the two, causing them both to step back. More bones mercilessly appeared towards Chara.

"Ah!!" Frisk falls backwards as Chara glared at Sans. Chara wasn't fast enough to get Frisk because Sans caught her instead.

He helped her to stand up. "Are you ok?" He asked.

Frisk's breathing was a bit unsteady. She was trembling her hands onto Sans as he continued to protect her. She was truly frightened. There was a loss of determination in her eyes due to her emotions being whacked out from trauma.

Sans noticed that look in her eyes. It was as though he could see exactly what she was feeling through her eyes alone. "Hey, don't give up. We're going to get out of this."

Frisk just buried her face into his chest as more shields from Chara's screaming was going towards her. Sans could feel her shaking. "I'm sc-scared...."

"I am too." He continued to block Chara as he spoke. "I won't let him have you though. I'll be dead before he can take you away." He glared at Chara.

Frisk is surprised someone as strong as Sans can be scared too. She wonders.

But Sans's fear is to losing her. Seeing her more hurt than she is. Seeing Frisk have such anxiety because of Chara makes Sans think that he had to protect her.

The more he got to know her, the more he came to realize that her kind heart was something rare and beautiful. It wasn't something to look down on. He truly loved that about her.

Noelle's not doing too swift. She started to cough up something.

Blood.

Since when do monsters bleed? It scared her. She felt a horrible pain in her stomach. Not knowing for the fact that she was internally hemorrhaging.

"Noelle!" Flowey could feel both his own, and Asriel's intense fear. He put Noelle down gently on the ground. "Hang in there." He rubbed her cheek with his paw. "I will be right back."

He turned around towards Chara with an intense anger in his eyes. "Right after I kill this idiot."

He sprinted over towards Chara, aggressively punching him with all of his strength. Sans saw this and helped out by attacking with his bones at the same time, doing his best not to hurt Flowey in the process.

"Oh?" Chara smirked. He noticed a difference in Asriel's eyes. He felt a bit of amusement for Asriel attacking him. He dodged with ease. Some attacks did land on Chara due to the fact for team effort.

(This is a weak body. I wonder if I still have some of my powers?) Flowey caused some vines to wrap around Chara, restricting any movement. (Perfect.)

Sans looked like he was about to finish Chara off, but Flowey stopped him. "Chara. I know Asriel doesn't want you to die. I can feel him begging me not to kill you. So on his behalf, I will ask you something. Do you have anything to say for what you've done before we kill you?"

Chara didn't take too long to think. He had gotten an idea. He put the most heartfelt expression on his face. "I'm truly sorry. Rei. We're brothers, aren't we? Gosh. I've sure messed up."

Flowey could feel Asriel fighting for control over their body. He had tears coming from his eyes, but he kept a serious face. Flowey didn't care because he could see through those lies. They were Asriel's tears. He tried to keep control because he knew Asriel would make a wrong decision. He couldn't keep it up for long due to Asriel's string will to talk to Chara.

Asriel nodded through his tears. "We will always be brothers. Even though what you did was wrong."

Despite Chara not being able to move his arms, Asriel hugged him anyway. He was still so naive. "Please accept Frisk's mercy...don't make us have to kill you." He began to sob.

"Frisk."

Chara's words made Frisk flinch.

Chara was patting Asriel's back in a comforting manner. He slowly backed away and looked at her. Sans stood on guard. He doesn’t trust him. Not one bit.

"This violence... Killing..." Chara continued. "I... Can't do it anymore. You see. I wanted revenge from my universe. Sans. He killed everyone in mine. I was so blinded by my revenge. I killed that Sans. But I wanted MORE. Even if I had to gain the EXP from killing everyone." His expression seemed sincere. He had tears in his eyes.

"I know you can't forgive me. I've done the worst to you, Frisk. Awful. Violating things that no woman should suffer through." He summoned the RESET power. "Only I have the power to fully RESET. I always had. I didn't choose to. But I will bring everyone back." He sniffled.

"Chara." Frisk was a bit speechless. "That... I'm glad for you to see this now." She seemed to smile in a kind way. That kind of smile.

Chara definitely loved that she looked at him that way. "Of course. Because only I would do this for you."

SPLATTER

Frisk's eyes widened as she felt a terrible pain in the middle of her chest. It happened so fast.

"Get your EXP only." Chara laughed maniacally as he kisses her. "Don't worry, sweetie, it won't hurt for long. We'll be together soon enough!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Sans turned to Asriel who had a paw over his mouth as he cried. Sans had heard the conversation with Flowey and Noelle. "Flowey, get control of him!"

Asriel lost his will to fight back. Flowey took control again and held Chara still with his vines. "Kill him."

A bunch of bones rained down on Chara all at once, impaling different parts of his body.

A mixture of red and black blood splattered everywhere. Chara kept darkly laughing as he kept getting hit.

"You can't kill me!!

Sans turned Chara's SOUL blue as he relentlessly pulled him away from Frisk more. Bones stabbed his SOUL and one large one, impacting into his throat as blood exploded everywhere. His eyes were widened in a creepy way with a twisted smile on his face as he died immediately.

Frisk was lying on the dirt. She was at the brink of death... Yet no RESET was willed by her. That disgusting kiss ruined her will to go on.

"Frisk, hold on!" Sans went over to her and picked her up, holding her close. There was no time for strong emotions. She needed healed immediately. He made sure that she was fully healed and then started to cry tears of relief. He thought he would lose her for good. While he did that, Flowey went back over to Noelle.

Frisk felt Sans's tears drip onto her face. She fluttered her eyes opened.

She's alive.

Sans saved her again.

She started to cry too. "I'm so sorry... I actually believe him for a second... and then... he..." She felt disgusted as she trembled while wiping her mouth off with her sleeve.

"I know." Sans grabbed one of her hands and started to gently massage it as a way of comfort. "He's gone now."

"How were you able to...?" Frisk squeezed his hand. She couldn't look at Chara's body. It was too gruesome to look at. But with Sans gently rubbing her like this made her put her head onto his shoulder to feel at ease.

Sans continued to kneading her hand since it seemed to be helping some. "I didn't do it alone, remember?" He spoke in a quiet and soothing voice.

Frisk gotten back to her senses.

Not alone.

She looked over at Asriel/Flowey and Noelle. "Noelle!" She gasped at the poor sight of her. Then looked up at Sans. "Can you heal her?"

Sans nodded and walked a few feet away from Frisk, but then stopped in his tracks. He was silent. She couldn't see his face since he was facing away from her. Then she did see something. Papyrus.

Papyrus's hands made their way to Sans's neck as he was seemingly frozen in place.

There was the sound of bones snapping as his neck was pushed into an unnatural position.

☠ ⛧̶ ̵⛥̷ ̷⛥̴ ̵☠̶ ̵☠̵ ̵⛧̴ ̵"̵T̵H̵I̴S̶ ̴I̴S̶ ̵Y̶O̸U̷R̸ ̸P̴U̴N̷I̶S̸H̷M̶E̷N̸T̶ ̴F̵O̷R̵ ̸R̸E̶S̶I̵S̷T̷I̴N̷G̸ ̴M̶E̶.̶̶
L̶E̸T̷'̵S̷ ̵D̸O̵ ̶I̷T̵ ̸A̴G̴A̸I̸N̴.̸"̶ ̶ψ̴ ̶ψ̸ ̸ψ̴ ̶⛥̸ ̴ψ̵ ̴☠̵ ψ

"No!" Frisk ran over to Sans. She cried out, feeling utterly helpless as she clung to Sans's arms. "Let him go!!!"

Noelle isn't doing too well. She's starting to lose a bit of her consciousness. There was a sound of Frisk's yelling at something, but her hearing was getting muffled.

Flowey didn't want to leave Noelle like that, but he didn't want whatever it was that happened to happen again. Some sort of reset? But it only went back as far as the demon wanted it to. It seemed his power was even stronger than Frisk's ever was.

He sighed and turned around to look at what was going on while holding onto Noelle's hand. (Maybe I can attack from here.)

Sans looked at Frisk tearfully as the demon's hands went to his neck again.

⛥ "̸Y̸O̵U̴ ̴C̸A̷N̷ ̸M̷A̴K̵E̸ ̴A̸ ̷C̷H̵O̵I̶C̶E̷,̶ ̷S̸A̷N̶S̵.̶ ̶W̶E̶ ̸C̴A̸N̷ ̴K̶E̷E̵P̷ ̶D̴O̴I̵N̶G̴ ̶T̷H̵I̷S̷ ̸O̷R̵ ̴
Y̷O̵U̵̸C̵A̷N̵ ̷L̶E̸T̶ ̸M̵E̴ ̴T̵A̵K̴E̴ ̶C̸O̶N̷T̸R̴O̴L̸ ̶O̵F̷ ̷Y̷O̸U̵.̵"̷ ψ

Sans was clearly struggling to make a decision. He didn't want to be controlled again, but he also didn't want to go through that pain over and over again. There would be no end to it.

Give up or keep going?

In this situation both would lead to bad things. If he chose to give up who knows how many people would die? Frisk would be among them.

But if he kept going...

One person, Sans, would have to suffer forever.

He was about to make his decision when he realized something. He never had a choice to begin with.

This demon, ‘Papyrus’, had the power to take over his body within seconds. He couldn't fight forever. In reality, the choice was always up to the demon.

Give up.

The demon smiled at that and let go of Sans. It went over to Chara's dead body and picked it up, smiling at the iron smell of his blood dripping onto the ground below.

It was a virus. The LOVE virus that infected so many and caused them to go insane. Chara gave him so much LOVE. So much power.

Now, he just had to take control of his two victims nearby.

Frisk looked at the huge demon in fear. So this is what LOVE develops into. Like a terrible disease.

She never felt so terrified. How can she give MERCY to this thing who is purely evil? The air is heavy and ominous.

Looking at Sans's face, she tried to get to him. "Don't let it control you again!" She cried out. But a force knocked her a way. She tumbled onto the ground. She looked up at him, with tears in his eyes. "We've been through too much just for you to let it happen all over again!"

Noelle forced herself to remain conscious, despite her pain. She was seeing Frisk and Sans was in trouble. Panting, she struggled to get up to muster some of her powers. But the demon made it nullify. It caused her a shock of pain from it.

Healing cannot work anymore. No matter who it is. There's no escape. Yet Noelle kept trying to do something. "Ngghh...."

"Noe-" Flowey's voice was interrupted. He was losing control. (I need to protect Noelle! I'm...a danger to her...)

He looked around and spotted a large rock nearby. "I will protect you...!" He scrambled over to the rock and slammed his head into it. He was still conscious. He kept hitting his head and causing himself to bleed until he felt lightheaded and couldn't hold on anymore. He collapsed onto the ground in a pool of his blood.

Sans couldn't hold on to his sanity. He ran towards Frisk and knocked her down, pinning her to the ground. There was a bone hovering above her face as Sans looked down at her with a tearful expression.

"I'm sorry." Sans continued to cry. "I have to kil̴l ̴yo̴u. ̴̋I̴ n̴eed̴ mo̴re l̴̽̃̚OVE̴."

Frisk looked at Sans. She felt his tears fall upon her face. Her expression was rather emotional.

"I'm so tired of everything." Her tears silently came out of her eyes. "I've hit my limit. I tried... To reach you. But I see I cannot do that." Her voice became shakier as she talked. "I'm tired of this happening. Tired of being hurt. I just want things to be normal with us. I guess it isn't possible." She closed her eyes. "You can go ahead and kill me. I'm not resisting this time..." Those words kept getting her hurt.

It's better this way.

"I'd rather die than to keep living." Her words felt hopeless. She then touched the side of his cheek and looked at him. "Sans. You're the most important person I laid eyes on. But do what you must. I can come back..."

Knowing that she will die, that will be it. It would be great if she could just RESET as she died. But she feels it isn't possible. She doesn't want to be hurt by him anymore. She knows it isn't his fault he's losing control. One cannot have hope in this situation. The virus is too strong. She knows she has no chance.

(I just want it all over... I want this pain to go away in my heart....)

Noelle goes to struggle to get to Asriel. She was crying. The fact he knocked himself out like that tore her heart to pieces. (I need to help him..)

She used her hands to try to pull herself closer to him. Her shaking hand reaches out to him. Struggling to stay alive due to her injuries.

The virus inside of Asriel was able to reach out and try to infect Noelle too. Putting dark thoughts into her head and trying to throw her into insanity. Hands of what looked like red mist reached out of Asriel's unconscious body and grabbed Noelle.

Noelle tries to struggle free. She's too tired to scream or say anything. The fact that she is dying. She constantly reached out towards Asriel.

"As...riel...." Her voice was like a strained whisper. Teardrops came out of her eyes.

Sans continued to struggle too, using all of his strength to not kill Frisk. Just let her live a little while longer. "You have to kill me!" He yelled through his tears. "It's the only way for you to be safe!"

"Don't be absurd!!" Frisk whimpered. Even though Frisk isn't strong enough to kill him, she could never do it. "Just... let me die, Sans. I rather do that than to harm you..." She had a forced, tearful smile on her face.

"No! You don't deserve any of this! I deserve to die for what I did to you!" He caused the bone that was aimed at Frisk to point towards himself instead. He was stopped.

The virus threw Noelle's lifeless body down like a ragdoll. It looked to Sans and Frisk and laughed, amused by the struggle.

Noelle's body landed next to Asriel's. It had a resounding thud. She was no longer breathing. Frisk's eyes widened at the sight of her.

"N-no..." She wrapped her arms around Sans. Forcing her cheek to go against his. "Sans! You don't need to give into this evil! Look what it's doing!" She yelled through her tears.

There must be a way. A way to get out of this. A way for them to RESET.

A thought of Asgore came to mind. He had other humans' SOULs he was planning on absorbing to become a god. That would have been too much power. One SOUL should be enough.

(My SOUL...)

"Sans.... Take... Take my SOUL." She held him tighter as his bone was shaking towards himself. "If you take mine... There's a chance you can RESET. I can't do it anymore but maybe you can!!"

Sans had her back up, looking at her expression. The fact that she was trusting him with her own SOUL. To save everyone. She can’t RESET at will. But with their SOULs combined, it can occur.

“Frisk… You’re right..” Sans placed his hand onto her face gently. He would have to kill her. He doesn’t want to. But in order for him to take her SOUL, he would have to. He wanted to avoid this. To avoid hurting her.

It was like some force from the virus withholding the power of RESET. Since it had absorbed Chara, the original main holder of it. Even healing powers are weakening here due to the discord of the demon. The area started to surround itself with a dark wind. Taking Noelle's life made it even stronger.

Sans wanted to make this quick and painless for Frisk. There was a strong wind that Sans felt hit his face and then he hit the ground away from Frisk. It took him a second to realize that the virus had thrown him so he couldn’t take Frisk’s SOUL.

Sans stood up and tried to run to her. A few bone attacks appeared to go towards her as he used his magic to turn her SOUL blue. The virus halted him over and over from doing so. The virus reached out and grabbed Frisk, making it so she can’t move.

"Ah!!!” Frisk cried out, extending her arm helplessly towards Sans. She was struggling, but can't barely move. Its grasp was too strong.

Asriel started to stir. He had control of the body again. The pain in his head was terrible, and it felt like he couldn't think straight. He might have damaged his brain.

He looked over and spotted Noelle's body. "No!" He grabbed her body as he started to cry more. He kissed her forehead. "I think I really understand now..."

He gently put her body down and looked at the virus holding Frisk. Sans struggling to save her. "Flowey, you're better at fighting than me. You can take over for a little while longer."

His eyes glowed green as power flowed through him. Flowey was filled with rage. He tried to attack the virus, but it seemed physical attacks didn't work.

The virus grabbed a hold of Flowey and made him attack Sans. "I don't want to hurt you! It's not me!" He cried as he attacked.

"I know." Sans aimed to attack. "But I need to protect Frisk."

Flowey felt a bone stab through his throat. His eyes widened and he put his paws up to the bone with his shock. Within seconds, he was dead. The virus laughed as it was expecting it.

Chapter Text

Frisk witnessed what just happened. A muffled cry of agony yelled from her lips. She held onto her head.

Anger.

Crushed.

All these emotions.

The demon only gotten stronger as Sans's LV went up from killing Asriel/Flowey. It looked even more distorted. A combination of Chara's, Papyrus's and other monsters' faces appeared in it. Something that looks like it came out of a nightmare. The virus spoke to Frisk.

"̶I̴N̶ ̴T̴H̴E̷ ̸E̶N̸D̷,̷ ̷I̶ ̴K̴N̵E̸W̶ ̶T̸H̷A̷T̶ ̴T̶H̸I̸S̴ ̴W̵O̶U̶L̸D̵ ̷H̸A̶P̸P̶E̴N̶.̶ ̸T̴H̵E̵R̸E̴'̵S̷ ̴N̸O̷ ̷W̵A̵Y̴ ̴
T̶O̴ ̶E̵S̷C̵A̸P̷E̷ ̵T̶H̴I̷S̶ ̷F̶A̸T̴E̴.̷ ̸J̴U̸S̶T̸ ̵L̸O̶O̴K̴ ̶A̸R̸O̵U̶N̴D̸ ̷Y̷O̸U̸.̷ ̴K̶R̷I̷S̸.̸ ̴R̷A̸L̵S̷E̷I̴.̴ ̴
C̴H̸A̷R̷A̷.̶̶N̶O̴E̷L̶L̶E̴.̴ ̴A̶S̸R̵I̸E̸L̷.̶ ̷Y̶O̷U̷ ̸A̶N̸D̷ ̷S̶A̵N̴S̷ ̸A̶R̶E̸ ̶N̶E̶X̷T̵.̶ ̸S̸O̶O̷N̵ ̸T̸H̶E̵R̵E̶ ̵
W̷I̴L̷L̵ ̵B̵E̸̸N̸O̸T̶H̷I̵N̶G̸ ̸L̵E̶F̴T̴ ̷O̷F̷ ̸T̴H̸I̷S̸ ̴W̷O̶R̴L̴D̴,̸ ̷A̶N̷D̴ ̸T̴H̴E̵N̷ ̴I̷ ̷C̷A̶N̵ ̶M̵O̸V̵E̵ ̶O̶N̴ ̵
T̷O̵ ̸T̶H̸E̴ ̵N̵E̸X̴T̵̴A̴N̶D̸ ̶G̷A̴I̶N̵ ̵E̶V̷E̵N̸ ̶M̶O̷R̷E̸ ̴L̴O̸V̶E̶.̶ ̵K̵I̷L̵L̴ ̶E̷V̷E̴N̶ ̸M̶O̷R̵E̵ ̵P̵E̶O̸P̶L̴E̵.̵"̶

Its voice kept getting more distorted as it spoke.

"THERE'S EVÉ̵͛͜N̴ A WOR̴LD ̴͎̏OF PEO̵͇̍͂PLE̷̪͇͘ ̴OUT THERE̶̮̺̽ ̴̈WHO ̸̹̐A̴RE A̴W̴̃ARE
O̴F̵͔̲̅W̵̺̾HAT'S GOING̸͍͐̽ ̴ON̴̋̄̏, ̸̛͇̏BUT TḢ̷̥EY ̴̘̝͛CAN'T INT̶̟̄͗ERACT̴. TḢ̷̡EY ̴C̴Ȧ̴̧͓̆̀͂̌N̷͍̐ ̴̆ONLY
SIT̴̴BY ̴̖͇͋AS̶̼̋̕ ̴I D̴E̴ST̴ROY ̷͕͔͗T̶̯̒̚HIS WORLD̴ THEY AR̵̢̆́E̴ ̴̠̞̐͜OB̶̖̑̆S̴̠̼͂͐ER̵̤̂̈́V̴̀IN̖ͅG AND ̴HÅ̴̳̙ͅVÈ̴̼
GR̴OŴ̴̑N ̸͕͘TO LO̴VE. I CAN'T̸̮̏̇ WAIT TO ̴̽SE̴E̴̙̬̒ ̵̻̲̌T̴HEIR F̷͇̘̈́AC̶̢͍̑E̴̛̽̉S ̸͍̃̒W̷̳͛́HE̴N I MOV̴E
TOTHÉ̸̙̻IR̴ WORLD. Ẇ̵̦͛HEN ̴̚I DEST̴̆ROY ̴̢E̴͖͠V̵͖͋ͅERYŢ̴̘͇̩̺̂HING TḦ̸̳ERE TO̴O. IT̴̩́̓̋'̴̃S̴̠͗͊̎
̴̨͗̎NO̴Ť̴̛͜TOO LONG NOW̴. ̴̇THEY̶̅̚͜ WERĚ̴̞̬͆ SO̴ N̷̼͊AIV̴E TO ̴̡̛̖̙̍T̸̙͕͒HI̵̹̊N̴̫̼̓̅K THEY̴ COULD̴̴̗͔͙́
CONTRO̷͖̻͆L ME̴̜͔̝!"

Frisk gritted her teeth. She looked at Sans, who looks just as helpless as she does.

How could a being do this? For what gain?

Power. An overwhelmingly strong power. She can never understand evil things in a world. Why people would destroy to gain enjoyment for their suffering...?

Who knows how many universes it has destroyed already to get this strong.

There was a new sense of determination building up in Frisk. Her love for Sans and her lost friends. She just can't give up.

"I won't let you do this anymore!" Frisk screamed out. Her SOUL was shining extremely bright. It shocked the demon as it lets her go.

Gravity didn't allow Frisk to fall. She started to hear many familiar voices crying out to her and Sans.

"Just keep going!" Kris's voice was heard. "I didn't die so this world could be erased!!"

"You can do this, Frisk!" This time it was Ralsei's voice. "Stay strong for your friends!"

"I know you can bring us all back!" Noelle's voice echoed. "We need you!"

It was Asriel's voice next. "You can bring us back, and I won't even cuddle you to death! I only want to cuddle one person! So keep fighting!"

Then there was another voice separate from Asriel's. It seems Flowey and Asriel were separated! "Pretend you didn't hear the part about cuddles. We're all rooting for you!"

(This is the only way I can do this properly!) Frisk thought.

As the virus tried to stop Frisk from doing this, she was too fast for it because of her DETERMINATION.

Frisk threw herself towards Sans's bone attack with a kind smile on her face.

Sans called out. It was too late. She died. Sans hurried over to her body as he had tears collecting under his eyes. He could see her SOUL floating nearby. He slowly reached over and touched it.

Sans was filled with determination. He summoned the power to RESET. It had a mesmerizing glow to it. He can feel Frisk’s SOUL within him. It was warm. She felt so close. He didn’t hesitate to smash his hand on the button.

The world seemed to fall apart and come back together in a beautiful way. Sans could see as the virus disintegrated, yelling out in anger. Threatening. He saw a distorted, creepy head of Papyrus’s. His voice was lost as he disappeared into nothing.

Monsters started to stir as though waking up from a good night's sleep. There was some confusion among them due to the underground and dark world being combined in some places. It appeared that they had went back seven years, but the worlds were still combined.

Underneath of a dark candy tree, Kris and Ralsei were both unconscious. Ralsei started to wake up and looked over at Kris.

"Kris!" He wrapped his arms around her and started to cry into her shoulder. "She did it! We're back!"

Kris's hair was a bit shorter. She still had her blue skin. A mixture of warmth and wetness she had felt on her shoulder.

Slowly, her eyes opened.

Wait....

A burst of colors appeared into her vision.

(I... Can.... See?) Kris stared in shock. Her eyes welled up. She saw who was hugging her.

Her hands placed onto the sides of his cheeks. Not only does she see, Ralsei's eyes. "Your eyes!! They're both there!"

Ralsei started to cry louder at that and he nodded. "You...can see too! I'm so glad! How do you feel?"

"I feel..." Kris touched her hair and parts of herself. "...Younger. It seems we're both 17 again."

She noticed Ralsei looks less aged now too. But both of their mannerisms and way of speaking have changed. "I must confess that we should keep our marriage a secret for the time being, as we are physically under aged." She chuckled at that through her tears.

Mentally, they’re both in their twenties. But other monsters wouldn’t know that.

"Alright." He rested his head against her. "Kris...do you think it'll be ok now? I really want to be with you forever...it was so hard to lose you..."

"We're back, aren't we?" Kris smiled as she held his hand. "I'm sorry, I left you like that."

She realized her surroundings.
The world is definitely merged with the Underground. Not how she remembered it from 7 years ago.

"This is very strange. I suppose that the RESET had some side effects with it?"

"I don't really understand it," Ralsei admitted. "But I guess I don't need to understand everything. I trust you enough."

"Ralsei." Kris stared into his eyes. She teared up. "After all these years, I can finally gaze into those loving eyes of yours."

Ralsei leaned forward and put his forehead against hers. "I'm glad that I can see yours too. Your eyes are beautiful." He was crying happily.

Kris took her hands and caressed his fluffy face. "I love you so much, my angel." She leaned in to kiss him.

Ralsei got his usual blush as their lips met. He felt like he was flying. It was such a relief after everything they had been through. He pulled back and smiled at her.

"Hey." Kris started to blush a bit. "I was thinking... since we've been together for 7 years... And not married for long. By time we're physically 18 again... After a small ceremony." She looked down. "I REALLY want to try for a kid. I mean, I would want to now! But to everyone else, we aren't 24 years old..." She started to get flustered with her words.

"Y-yeah! I want to do that too!" His face got redder. "We could have a family!"

Behind them, there were footsteps heard. "Uhh...well, this is awkward." It was Susie's voice.

Kris saw Susie and Lancer standing there. Susie had a dumbfounded, awkward face. Lancer, well, he is oblivious. Kris coughed in a flustered manner. She brushed the feeling away as she notice their two friends, who died horrendous deaths, are alive.

"I'm so glad you two are alright." Kris smiled happily.

"Pfft. You guys are so weird! Worrying about the bad guys!" Lancer waved his hand in a silly mocking manner.

"Excuse me?" Kris asked.

"Did you two hit your heads?" Susie questioned with a laugh.

Ralsei moved to a sitting position beside Kris, still holding her hand. He looked like he might cry. "You mean...you aren't our friends?"

"Friends? We don't become friends with losers! That's weird!" Lancer laughed.

Kris thought for a moment. The way they're talking is familiar. "Ah, I see." She whispered into Ralsei's ear. "It looks like they don't remember anything. It's like time is repeating."

(I guess that makes sense...) Ralsei thought. He nodded silently. (We are back in the past after all.)

"Yeah!" Susie agreed with Lancer. "We can't be friends with you! Come on, Lancer! Let's go plot some stuff!"

"Now, hold on a minute, CHILDREN." Kris grabbed the backs of them. She's a lot faster and vocal than they remembered.

"Woah!" Lancer flails from her grip.

"Stop this foolishness. Plot stuff?" Kris said in a scolding manner. "Acting like this will only cause you trouble. Especially you, Susie. I know you're better than this and you want to feel better about yourself." She had an authoritive tone that even intimidated Susie.

"Woah, what's with you?" Susie asked. Her eyes widened. "You're usually so quiet!"

Ralsei walked over to them with an angry expression. "She's right! You two should be ashamed!"

Lancer had a baffled expression on his face. Never in a million years he ever seen Ralsei angry.

"Let's just say I know a lot of things you two don't know I know." Kris shot a look at Lancer. "Your dad. He's dangerous. You two should stick with us to be safe."

"Wh-what?" Lancer stammered. (How does she know? Is she a psychic?) He had his anxiety raise a little bit from her even mentioning him, but... an offer like that?

Susie didn't seem completely convinced. Ralsei noticed. "Susie, no cake for you if you don't join us! You've been really mean lately!"

"What?!" Susie exclaimed. She looked at Lancer. "Dude, is she telling the truth about your dad? Should we go with them?"

Lancer only nodded sadly. He was trembling a little bit. He mumbled. "Sorry...."

Kris sighed. 7 years ago, she didn't realize how much she has grown in that timespan. She kind of cringes at her younger self on how she used to be. Now, she's confident and bold. A bit strict with words and only has a soft side with Ralsei.

"I don't understand how you know about him." Lancer continued. "Have you met him...?"

"Sort of," Ralsei said. "Me and kris have just seen things you wouldn't know about."

Susie kept looking at Lancer, and her angry expression softened a little. "I guess we'll go with you...but only because Lancer wants to! Since we're a team we do these things together."

"And since you.." Kris coughed. "Eavesdropped on us earlier, I suppose we'll need to tell you our long story."

"I like stories! Lesser Dad would read me stories all the time!" Lancer put on his goofy grin.

"Well...I suppose we should get started," Ralsei said. "We should sit down. It is a bit long..."

"Do we have to-" Susie started. She caught Ralsei giving her a stern look. She sighed and took a seat on the ground with Lancer.

...

In another part of the underground, Asriel woke up. He was confused on how he was there, but he didn't really question it that much.

"Asriel."

"Hm?" Asriel turned to the source of the sound. He saw what looked like himself, but slightly different. "Hey, you look like me!"

"Idiot." The other goat laughed. "It's me, Flowey!"

"Oh, right!" Asriel said. "How are you back in that form though?"

"When we were in the same body I had part of your SOUL," he explained. "I still have half of it with me. So now I can stay like this! Wow, it's going to be a shocking reunion when I see dad. He thinks I'm dead..."

"Yeah...good luck talking to him!" Asriel seemed distracted though. "I...need to go find Noelle!"

The other Asriel watched as he ran off, feeling a new feeling. Jealousy?

...

Noelle was unconscious on the ground. She moved around in her sleepy state. Rubbing her eyes, she awoke. Slowly, she sits up. She notices that she was sleeping on top of a mixture of golden flowers and leaves from the Dark World's trees. It looked like a strange garden area.

(I'm...alive?) Noelle hopped up in realization. The sound of crunched leaves shuffles underneath her. She looks down at herself. She noticed that she is more youthful. Her hair is also shorter. Clothes are much cleaner.

(Frisk! She did it! Yet...) Noelle put her hand onto her chin in thought. (Our worlds are still combined? There must have been some sort of environmental rift causing this.)

Due to her studies in her magic, she can speculate such things. A RESET wasn't enough to get things back to normal.

(That means....)

Asriel.

It is so strange to her. She never knew he had a split personality until recently, but it made sense. She recalled as she was dying, Asriel confessed his love to her. Yet he spoke in third person for some reason.

(I need to find him! I..!)

She rushed around, using her hands to lift up her dress from not hitting the ground.

"Asriel!" Noelle kept calling out to him. Some monsters passing by gave her weird stares but left her be.

Asriel heard her voice and started to run. He spotted her and hurried over to her, hugging her without hesitation. "Noelle! You're ok!" He rubbed his cheek against hers as he smiled. "I missed you even though we weren't apart for that long!"

"A-ah, um!" Noelle gotten a little flustered and smiled. "Are you alright?" She hugged him back. She's happy to find him after everything that had happened.

"I am now!" He continued to stand there, not wanting to end the hug.

In a nearby area, Flowey/Asriel was watching. He made sure that he wasn't seen. He couldn't help but feel envious of what he was seeing though. That Asriel was so childish. (Is she really going to fall for someone who hasn't matured at all since childhood?)

Noelle looks up at Asriel in mid-hug. "Asriel... You look... Different."

Well, she isn't one to talk. She also looks younger, but Asriel looks way more different for his younger state. His eyes were kinder, not red and had an innocent look. The flower petals growing out of him were also gone.

"I do?" He titled his head. He was a little excited since their faces were close. "I feel a little different too!" He did tiny hops of excitement while still staying close to her.

"Probably because we're younger again?" Noelle looked away shyly, yet this childish personality of his is like he hasn't aged a bit. "I mean, I think I'm back to being 17 years old based on how I feel."

"Wait!" Asriel put his paws gently on her cheeks. "Look at me!" He could tell by her face that she was confused. "I just like your eyes!"

"What in the world?" Noelle felt a bit pressure since he's so energetic. Touchy-feely. It made her blush, but it was a little bit much for her. But she didn't look away from him. "I'm l-looking now." She stammered.

"Good! I want to look at your eyes when we talk!" He said. It seems his fast paced mind had already forgotten about the whole being younger thing.

"You can, but, um..." Noelle started to blush more. But also, felt a bit overwhelmed. She was expecting a more... heartfelt reunion. But this feels too childish. She had died before him. Yet, this feels a bit too much.

Not that she minded the affection. It's almost like when she was at the brink of death. Those serious eyes. The way he looked at her. Saying that he loved her?

(I guess it was just a dream... Probably because I was at death's door.)

"But...what?" His paws fell to his sides. "Do I need to stop? If I'm being too crazy for you, that's ok! I'll stop!"

"I-it's alright." Noelle chuckled nervously. "I'm just not as hyper as you are, I guess."

She paused a moment. "I'm just glad everything's alright now. I mean, the years I struggled to survival because of Sans... Er, he became better at least. But also, Chara. I'm surprised I survived as long as I did."

"Yeah...Chara." He had a sad look in his eyes. "Do you think there was any good left in him?"

"No." Noelle had a bit of hatred in her eyes. "He was always ruthless and malicious. He was truly a despicable person..." Then she stopped and noticed his expression. "I'm sorry..."

"He wasn't always though!" Asriel argued. "Or at least...I don't think he was. I thought of him as my brother. He was nice to me. You don't think he was faking it, do you?"

"He's done terrible things to me before... He killed Ralsei and Kris... I can never forgive him for that." Noelle looked upset, recalling many awful memories of Chara.

"I'm so sorry that he changed for the worst..." She sighed. "If only things were different then I wouldn't feel this way."

Asriel smiled and put his head on Noelle's shoulder to hide his emotions from her. "I don't blame you for hating him after what he did. I can't hate him though."

Noelle subtly blushed and patted his back in comfort. "It's alright."

She didn't realize she was being watched by Flowey still.

Flowey clenched his fists as an angry expression spread onto his face. His eyes were moist. It hurt him to see them like that. That was his chance at love. It seemed to him that Noelle truly did have stronger feelings for that Asriel though.

Asriel held his tears in as Noelle comforted him. "I know. As long as you're here I will be fine! I just kind of miss him is all."

SPLASH

There was a sound of a watering can hitting the ground. It made Noelle jump in surprise.

"Asriel?"

Asriel lifted his head up and turned around. There was someone there who look familiar to him. Yet also so different. "Dad? Is that you? Are you playing dress up?"

Tears started to form from Asgore's eyes. He didn't really hear what Asriel asked, but bolted over to him. Noelle moved out of the way while Asgore lifted him up into a bear hug. He was sobbing.

"It's a miracle... you're alive!!" He cried a lot.

Asriel seemed a little confused, but ended up hugging him back. "I am!" He felt like he was drowning in fluff. "There's no need to be upset!"

Asgore felt a heavy guilt. He killed a lot of humans as an outcry to his children’s deaths. Yet, there he is. Asriel.

Alive and well.

Asgore kept sobbing and holding Asriel into his arms. He didn't want to let go. He didn't want this to be a dream. Noelle looked at the two of them.

(I'll give them some privacy.) Noelle thought. She felt out of place in this type of setting. She decided to explore a bit, but not too far from them.

As Noelle walked away, Flowey spotted her. He walked over to her and grabbed her hand gently, just enough to stop her.

"Noelle. It's me." His voice sounded deeper than the other Asriel's. "Do you...remember me? Flowey? I spoke to you from his body."

Noelle gasped. This goat... He looked like Asriel. Yet that expression. It's so familiar.

"Flowey...? But aren't you...?" She felt confused a bit. But she heard from the distance that Asriel and Asgore were still talking. "Wait, how are you here- I mean. You're Asriel too???"

But his outfit was different. It looked more like... royalty of some sort. A mixture of green and yellow attire.

He chuckled. "It's a long story. Basically in this timeline, I was Asriel. But then I died and got turned into a flower. When the universes merged, I ended up sharing a body with that other Asriel. If...it helps you to not confuse us you can call me Azzy."

His face suddenly got a sad expression. "That other Asriel is unaware of a lot of things. He never grew up. Chara manipulated him to think that he needed to rely on him. Made him feel like a helpless kid."

"You can interpret that however you want. That he kept a childlike innocence, or that he is mentally unstable. Either one is a possibility sadly." He sighed. "When I merged with him, I had murderous intent. I caused him to go insane. I regret it all. I actually grew attached to you through him. When I grew attached to you...that's when his childlike personality started to shine through. He was free of his insanity. I became more of a split personality instead of an actual person. I actually didn't mind that...seeming to not exist so the blame wasn't on me. I guess I can't avoid consequences forever."

It was a lot for Noelle to take in. "Let me get this straight. When I met... You. Him. Was it you, at first...?"

(Was it you who started to show kindness to me? Despite calling me names? The time you fed me despite everything?)

Because that's when.... she started to have these feelings. She only gotten more confused after Asriel started acting like a kid. It suddenly makes sense now.

"It was." His cheeks turned a little pink. "I apologize for being so mean to you. It was also me most of the time when we fought that virus. Asriel...doesn't handle fighting well."

"No, it's ok. You eventually realized so I'm glad." Noelle shook her head and smiled. "I can tell he isn't that type. He's also... er... a bit enthusiastic with things?" She laughed nervously.

He laughed too. "You could say that. Like I said before, he just doesn't know what his feelings mean. I don't know if he ever will if I'm being honest. I bet you do though." He met her eyes.

Noelle's heart skipped a beat because of the way he looked at her. "I... Well..." She didn't realize her face was getting red. It was a different sensation with Azzy. With Asriel, he was a bit.... too much.

Azzy just made her feel fluttery. She can't even think straight at the moment. Yet she couldn't take her eyes off of him either.

He just laughed quietly. "It's ok. I didn't actually expect you to answer." He started to walk away and then paused. "I think my dad wouldn't be able to handle the truth. So he can only see me or the other Asriel one at a time. Please, make sure that Asriel doesn't start any trouble when I want to talk to my dad."

Noelle followed after him. "Wait." She didn't realize that she grabbed his paw and then started blushing. "Please, don't leave. I..."

She's a bit too shy and also confused to give her answer just yet. But... she thinks she knows what it is.

She stopped herself from saying anything related to that topic. Then she put on a sad smile. She saw Asgore's reaction. "Is he.... your actual dad? Not Asriel's?"

He nodded. "I don't know what became of Asriel's dad. I've never seen him, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's dead. Asriel doesn't seem to understand that they're not the same."

"Oh... That's so sad." Noelle stated. "I... Um..." She shyly looked away. "Is it ok that I stay by you? I mean, I can help you with your dad too. Um..."

"I thought you would want to stay with Asriel?" He asked. His voice sounded a bit cold, but not necessarily accusing. What his voice didn't have his eyes made up for though.

"No... That's not true. I-I.."

It was confusing. But Asriel was definitely not who she fell for.

She didn't realize some tears escaped her eyes. The coldness in his voice caught her off guard a little bit. "I-I'm sorry, you even thought that way..."

It's because Asriel looks like him. But doesn't act like Azzy. When Asriel started to act a bit like a child, it did hurt her a bit. Now, she's hurt again.

"Hey." Azzy put a paw on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to make you upset. It's alright. You can come with me if you want."

"I can?" Noelle blinked as she looked up at him as another teardrop was on her cheek. "I mean, I do want to come with you..."

"Then come with me." He smiled to reassure her. "I won't stop you."

Despite his words, she still kept crying. He felt extremely guilty. He embraced her and started to gently stroke her hair.

"I'm relieved you're ok." His soft whisper made the fur around her ears twitch. "You can walk with me whenever you want. I didn't mean to sound like I didn't want your company."

Noelle put her face into his chest. She loved the feeling of his warmth. His embrace. Her arms wrapped around him to make herself feel closer to him.

She needed to hear those words from him. She didn't seem to want to let him go just yet. Her words were a little muffled due to her speaking into his chest, but...

"I just want to be near you, Azzy."

(It's you that I first met after all....)

"I do too." He smiled as he held her close. "Do you remember what I said before you died? I meant it. I still do."

"Care to tell me it again? I want to make sure I heard it right." Noelle gotten flustered, but she wants to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Noelle...I love you," he said. "You heard me right. I truly love you."

"Azzy... I feel the same way!" Noelle looked up at him. "I love you too."

That time when she placed her hands on Azzy's face, she wanted to tell him then. But then Asriel made the comment about the fluffy marshmallow. That killed her mood and upset her. She wanted to give a romantic setting. Now, she's getting it and can't help but to cry happily.

Azzy lowered his head so that their noses were touching. "I...didn't expect you to feel this way."

Noelle blushed deeper. She stared at him in his eyes. "I.. Was going to try to tell you..."

She mentioned what she was just thinking earlier. "But I didn't know there was two of you." She laughed with how crazy it sounded.

"This is the you that I fell in love with. I was afraid when 'you' changed a bit."

"I apologize for scaring you. I wish we could have talked more then, but I guess Asriel's will to be heard was stronger than mine." He gave her a quick kiss since their faces were so close. Noelle was surprised by the sweetness and tenderness of his kiss. "Now, we can talk for as long as we want."

"It wasn't you that made me uncomfortable." Noelle admitted.

"It was Asriel. His crazed affection for me caught me off guard." She felt bad for saying that. "That's what I meant when I thought you had changed so drastically."

She stared at his eyes. Although, they are a tint of a dark red, she can see the honesty in his eyes. The way he had looked at her before. The unspoken love that she was longing for. When she had looked at Asriel's eyes, it was like looking into a child's.

"I knew something was missing. It was you, Azzy. I'm happy we can talk like this like we used to now." She giggled.

"I am too." He backed up a little with his arms still around her. "I hope that the way I treated you doesn't affect our relationship. I just want to love you..." He had a sad smile.

Noelle puts her hands onto his face. Just like the time they were lying together. This time, she feels more certain and less hesitant to do so.

"Strangely, I always felt like there was a soft side to you. I don't think you were wanting to hurt me at all. Even so, I don't think you were at fault for it due to the virus." She can see that he is a good person. A gentle one, at that. "All I want is to be with you and only you."

“You’re a very sweet girl, Noelle. That’s why I fell for you.”

...

"SANS! WAKE UP, LAZY BONES!"

Sans opened his eyes and looked around, recognizing that voice. There he was. Sans was sitting at his sentry station, and Papyrus was nearby yelling at him.

It was really Papyrus this time.

Not only was Papyrus there, but everything else was like it was seven years earlier. The only difference was the fact that parts of the dark world were still there. And Sans, who was mentally seven years older. Physically he was younger though.

"Papyrus?" He asked.

Papyrus looked confused by Sans's behavior. "YES?"

"Did anything weird happen while I was asleep?"

Papyrus got that look that said he was thinking. "THERE ARE SOME WEIRD PLACES THAT POPPED UP! WE SHOULD CHECK IT OUT!"

Sans shook his head. "I need to go do something. You can go on ahead."

Sans jumped from his station ignoring Papyrus rants about Sans being lazy. He had to hold onto his hoodie as he ran. (I have to find Frisk!)

Chapter Text

Sans ran as fast as he could, searching everywhere. Remembering all the places she had gone through back in the past. He couldn't see her anywhere. Then he remembered something. She came from the Ruins the first time she fell.

He went to the Ruins door, and saw that it was still shut. He broke it down with his power and ran inside, ignoring Toriel yelling out to him.

There she was. Frisk laying in the flower bed. He started to shake her in a panic.

Frisk's hand started to twitch. Her head moved a little due to reflex. A heavy fatigue hit her. Yet, she kept hearing her name called out.

(Am I dead...?)

She didn't really figure what was going on. Her eyes slowly opened to Sans's panicked face.

"Sans...?" She's a bit groggy still. She noticed he looked younger. His eyes are a normal white color compared to the red-blue eyes he had before. "What a nice dream...." She smiled, not fully awake yet.

He felt an overwhelming sense of relief that she was alive. He pulled her close while touching her face and planted a kiss on her soft lips. "It wasn't a dream!" He said as he blushed. "It all really happened...there was a reset, and...we ended up here."

She stared at him a bit. She's trying to process what even just happened as she placed her fingers onto her lips.

Her whole face was red. It even made her ears pink.

"Y-you-"

She couldn't even speak. She's definitely awake for sure this time.

Sans's face got bluer. He was starting to feel like his normal self again, other than the guilt he still felt. "You saved me. I wouldn't know what to do without you."

"Is that the only reason why you kissed me?" Frisk said in a teasing way. It was adorable seeing him blush. But saying that also made her face pink. She didn't care too much about it though.

"No." He looked away from her eyes. "I like you a lot...You saving me was just a nice bonus." He still had that blushy smile.

"You.." She blinked.

"Like...." She pointed at him.

Then to herself. "Me?" She put on a nice smile. "What do you think my feelings are?" She giggled in a teasing way while poking his shoulder.

"You mean...do you actually like me too?" He asked. "But I hurt you so much. I don't deserve someone like you."

"Sans."

She crawled a bit closer to him. The flowers underneath her felt soft. Such a nostalgic feeling. "I... Well..." She put a part of her hair behind her left ear. "Believe it or not, I always had rather strong feelings for you. Before all of this happened... And well, I'll admit. You did hurt me and broke my heart a lot."

Her eyes looked into his. "But that wasn't you. You were just possessed. A victim. If that would have happened to me... Perhaps I would have went insane as well...I was starting to get there a little bit..."

"You don't understand." He shook his head. Feeling a bit of regret that he kissed her. Someone as precious and sweet as her. What was he thinking? "I killed willingly before. That's what caused the virus to be able to get me. That just made things worse."

"WasChara the reason?" Frisk asked. She didn't let him answer. "You know, I actually do not blame you. The way that.... scum was. Was the reason you had killed was to be stronger than him?"

It's like she saw through to him. Frisk had always been a bit keen on to figuring out problems. Not only that, she was really empathetic to get an idea how someone is feeling. Well, most of the time.

"That's part of the reason." He scooted closer to her so that their shoulders were touching. "That doesn't make it better though, does it? I still murdered monsters." It took a lot out of him to admit to his wrong doings. He had no problem knowing that he was in the wrong. It took someone truly strong to say it out loud though.

"Flowey told me," Frisk looked up where the hole she fell from. The sunlight was hitting her face just right. "That he killed many before too... Yet..."

She interlocked her fingers between his. "He has great remorse for his actions. If he can start over, so can you. It's ok to feel guilty. I don't think that would ever go away, but that just shows me the type of person you are. If you were truly evil, you wouldn't feel even a twinge of guilt."

(I'm so unworthy of her love.) He squeezed her hand. "Even if I'm not evil, I still messed up in a way that shouldn't be forgiven. I don't understand how you can still believe there's good in me."

Frisk gave him a look. "It's too late now. You know why?"

She crawled in front of him. Her face gotten close to his. There was a noticeable blush. He can even feel her heart pounding as she pressed her body against his. Her hand held the back of his head, giving him a sweet kiss. It made his SOUL go crazy. Feeling her softness and warmth, it was a nice feeling. She slowly backed away, but not too far away. They were still close. "It's a bit unfair that you gave me a kiss and you say those things. I had already forgiven you. The way you're treating me this moment is good."

"I don't know if I will ever exactly be the same that I was before. But I still want to be by your side." He smiled even though he was still upset with his face blushing. "To everyone else we can change the past, but as long as we remember we can't change what happened. I'm still not like I was before. Are you sure that's ok?"

"Yes." Frisk placed her head against his shoulder. Slightly lying against him. "I want to be with you."

She didn't take a good look at her body. It's her younger self again. No scars from Chara either.

"Even though they're gone... The names on my body.." She shuddered. "I...I'm not the same person anymore either." She looked at him at him again. "You did awful things to me too... but... not as nearly as terrible he had done to me."

Her hands clutched against her chest. "I... Still feel broken. I do admit that. In comparison, I don't know if I am lovable. I feel disgusting if I'm honest now. It was in the future, yet those memories can't be erased."

He felt a bit of comfort from her being beside him like that. "You're not disgusting. Far from it actually."

"Even if he...?" Frisk had a hard time saying it. She started to quiver just thinking about it.

"No matter what he did," Sans responded. "None of that was your fault. It was all Chara."

"But... You'd still... want to be with me?" She began to hug onto her knees. Trying to get herself to calm down. "I mean, I'm pretty messed up right now. I can't tell whether my smiles are real or fake. That I'm masking my pain."

She started to cry. "Even though you say it isn't my fault, I do feel like it is. I chose to go to him after he used Ralsei as bait. I chose to do that, yet, I-"

"That's just proof that you're a good person," he said. "You gave up your freedom to save someone else. You made me see that there's good in this world still."

Frisk yelled. Not in a mean way, but she was crying. "You don't get it. I'm disgusting! I'm dirty! I'm-"

"No." Sans held her close. "You're perfect to me. Don’t ever say those things about yourself.”

Frisk embraced him tightly. Nuzzling her face into his shoulder. "I'm sorry. But you can see, I, too, belittle myself quite badly. But don't ever think you don't deserve me either..."

"I will try my best." He rubbed her back. "But you have to try something for me too. Try to see what I see. That you're not disgusting or broken. That you're suffering because of someone else, and not your own fault."

"I-It will take me awhile... I do ask for your patience. As for you, I'll be patient with you too. I'll keep going to you even if you push me away." Frisk sniffled. She loved the feeling of Sans's comforting touch.

"I'm done with pushing you away." His voice was shaking. "I will listen to what you have to say. I'm tired of going through this alone. Let's handle the next steps together."

"Together? You mean it?" Frisk looked at him. The sunlight made her eyes glisten. Those eyes were beautiful to gaze upon.

He nodded. "Heh, yeah. Let's go, and do it together this time." He stood up and offered his hand to her.

Frisk placed her hand into his and stood up with him. She didn't let go of his hand. Her footing was off due to the numbness of her legs for sitting on the ground for too long.

"Woah!" She fell backwards, pulling Sans with her.

Flower petals scattered everywhere. It looked like it was raining with them. Sans was slightly on top of her. She couldn't help but blush and laugh, seeing the petals fall onto his head.

"Pfft... Hahaha! Oops!"

Sans stared at her for a moment, taking in the sight of her. Her eyes, her smile, the way her eyebrows slightly raised as she laughed...it all made him forget about his worries. He started to laugh too while blushing.

He sighed happily and laid down on the ground beside Frisk. "Frisk...I promise that I will never treat you the way Chara did. Even though I hurt you before, I will do everything to make sure it never happens again. You deserve to be treated right and feel loved. So I will do my best to do that for you."

Frisk felt overjoyed. Those words of Sans.

She believes him. Such a delicacy that was delivered by those sentences. She couldn't help but lay eyes on him.

"Thank you. I really need to hear that from you." She rolled herself having herself look towards him more instead of having her neck cranked.

"It's a bit weird, we're younger. Look different now." A lone petal fell off of her short hair. Being in a coma had her hair grow super lengthy. It was an annoyance at first, but she seemed to like it. Now she prefers it over her short hair.

"Yeah...I must confess to liking this look better than my other one." He chuckled. "You look great no matter what though."

"I didn't mind your mature look. Even though your eyes had changed, I still saw right through to you. I found you a charmer either way. Well, once you started being nice with me again. Heehee." Feeling playful, she took a flower and wiggled it onto his cheek.

Sans laughed at that. "That tickles!" He grabbed her hand to get her to stop, and found himself not wanting to let go.

"Oh? You're ticklish?!" Frisk exclaimed, struggling with her hand to get him again. She used her other hand to try to tickle him on his neck.

He started laughing again. "Stop!" He grabbed her other hand and gave her a teasing smile. "What will you do now?"

Frisk blew hair out of her face. "Oh, you! Haha!"

She tried to move herself, but Sans is too strong. "Grrr."

Struggle. Struggle. Struggle.

"Youuuuuuuuuuu! This isn't fair!" She laughed.

"Hmmm..." Sans hummed. "I wonder if you're ticklish too?" He let go of her hands and started to tickle her stomach.

Frisk started to flail and laugh. She started to roll to the side to try to escape. "NOOOOO!! Bahahaha!!"

Sans continued to tickle her, and then stopped. "I won't torture you with tickles anymore," he said. "As long as you don't torture me!"

"Oh, alright." She pretended she was getting up. She had a glint in her eyes and then pounced him to pin him down. "Got ya!" She tickled him as an act of revenge. "You asked for it!!"

"No!" He tried to struggle away. "That's...!" He kept getting interrupted by his own laughter. "Not...fair...!"

"Mweeheehee." Frisk did a cute evil laugh and then went to get off of him, but Sans pulled her back down closer.

He did it without thinking, and he immediately blushed. "Can we just stay like this a little while longer?"

"I-I'm not complaining." Frisk blushed even more. She felt his body warmth. She felt a bit too shy to look at him, due to being so close to him. She feels his SOUL beating fast. Feeling that made her feel like there's butterflies in her stomach.

"Good. Because I don't want to let go anytime soon." He put his head on her shoulder while still having his arms around her.

Frisk kept nearby Sans. There was a distant gasp. It was Toriel.

"Oh my." She whispered to herself and walked away very awkwardly. She was about to tell off this skeleton guy for destroying her door. Never thought she'd see the fellow with an unknown human girl. She feels embarrassed for walking in on them. (Youthful love these days. I'll have to scold that boy later. At least, this human seems to be safe.)

"Did you hear something?" Frisk asked Sans, as Toriel was already gone.

Sans looked over to see if anyone was there. "Whatever or whoever it is, they don't seem to be here anymore."

...

A familiar, green hooded figure. He was standing around.

A RESET had occurred. His memories are a bit fuzzy.

Something possessed him. Something sinister. All he wanted was to kill to be strong. For power. For revenge. After killing King Sans, it wasn't enough. He wanted more.

So much more.

But....

(I've done many awful things.) He thought of Asriel. It was all for him at first.

At some point... He tried to kill him too?

Just for more LOVE?

He thought of these things as he was eavesdropping on Noelle and Asriel. Asriel was childish as always. Chara sadly smiled and vanished away.

He seen others he had killed. So many innocent monsters. They don't know him. It's better that they don't.

Then. He came across an unconscious girl. Frisk.

She was laying innocently on a flower bed. Chara held his head in pain remembering the awful things he's done to her.

(Yet I stated I loved her. That wasn't it. It was lust. And power.)

The poor girl didn't deserve any of that. None of them deserved to die. Not even Sans here deserved it.

(I wonder if there would be another time or place... we would have all been friends.)

Chara can't even forgive himself for what he's done. He severely violated the girl. Sans wouldn't even stoop that low. It's no wonder Frisk clung to him.

There's no good left in him. Not one bit.

His one eye started to hurt. He felt his insanity trying to come back. To restart this all over again. He made himself get away from Frisk. Far away from her as possible.

Because Frisk is back in her timed setting, his time hasn't come yet to destroy everyone again. That only happened after Asgore had died.

(I must stop it from happening all over again.)

DELETE SELF

Those words showed up. It meshed in with a strange language.

"Welp. This is what I must do." His hand placed onto it and he started to fizz out from existence. "Rei. I'm sorry."

As he was vanishing, he noticed a figure from the distance. It looked like him. But in a green and yellow striped sweater. Yet, he was transparent.

"Please send that message to him, other me."

With that, he was gone. Gone from existence.

...

A large monster with a tear-shaped head was roaming around. He has a black spade where his eyes should be, a mouth showing his tongue and big teeth, a broad body, and blue gloves and boots.

He has a sinister grin. "I don't know how I got here, but..."

He laughed as he kicked a monster away. "I can rule more subjects this way."

He lashed his chain around, causing a disturbance with monsters screaming and running away from him. The Chaos King was mad, at first, for not being in his own castle. But, no matter. He feels a bit freer in this place. It's as if, he isn't locked away in the Dark World anymore.

Yet he still has a plot to hurt others for his own enjoyment

...

"So...that's the story!" Ralsei finished. "Any questions, you two?"

Susie had a shocked and confused looks on her face. "I don't know how much of that I really understand," Susie started. "But I'll take your word for it I guess." She chuckled nervously.

"You two are actually old!" Lancer laughed.

"Not THAT old. At least my body is still young." Kris groaned irritably. "Kids." But then chuckled. They were, at one point, called the Fun Gang.

Perhaps that would happen naturally at some point. Kris was holding Ralsei's paw. Which was an odd sight for Susie to see that they're together.

"That also explains why you're both acting so different," Susie pointed out. "You're both normally a lot quieter than this. And not so….Mushy."

"Well...a lot happened." Ralsei smiled. "No time has passed to you of course, but we grew a lot in that time." He got another thought and looked to Kris. "Kris, do you think we'll have trouble again from anyone? I wonder how much has changed...if Chara is still here. That virus, and...the Chaos King."

"D-dad." Lancer shuddered.

Ralsei did purposely leave out of the story that his own father ripped off his head. Those parts were too scary for a kid like him.

Kris stopped her steps. She looked at Ralsei. "We won't let THAT happen again." She looked at Lancer and Susie. "You two should stay by us for now. And Lancer?"

Lancer lifted his head up to look up at her.

"You're a good kid. We'll keep you safe." Kris had a smile on her face. She looked at Ralsei. Remembering the terrible torture the king put him through. Her hand kind of trembled into his. Ralsei can read her like a book now.

Ralsei gave her a kind smile. "It'll be alright. We're stronger now!" He was scared too. Scared of that happening again. He didn't want to go through the pain all over again that had traumatized him so badly in the last timeline. Kris needed him though.

"Even if anything does happen, you will be there. No one died last time so I know it's possible to make it out. I trust you enough to lead us safely."

Susie was trying to reassure Lancer in her own ways as Kris and Ralsei talked. Her voice seemed muffled to the two though, as they could only focus on each other with the things they had seen.

"Oh, I know we can. Since we know everything that had happened." Kris walked subtly closer to him. "I just don't like you getting hurt that way. But you'll probably do a better job at protecting me than myself doing do." She laughed. She knows Ralsei's magic gotten more astounding over the years. Without him, she wouldn't have ever survived long enough.

"You shouldn't underestimate yourself! You have always been amazing. I'm so lucky to have you." He looked into the distance. Kris couldn't tell what he was really thinking in that moment. After a few seconds, his eyes lit up. "It's Frisk! And...Sans?"

They hadn't been around when Sans was acting nicer to Frisk. They weren't aware of a change, so it was confusing to see them walking together and holding hands.

Kris looked back at Susie and Lancer. "You two, stay back."

"Huh? Why?" Lancer asked.

Kris stood her ground next to Ralsei.

Frisk noticed them from the distance. "They're here too?"

That was a dumb question. Due to their surroundings. Of course, they were here!

"Kris! Ralsei!" Frisk couldn't help it but run over to Kris and Ralsei. Basically glomping them into a hug.

Kris blinked in surprise and noticed Sans looking at his feet. Her expression towards him was unreadable. Sans walked closer to catch up with Frisk, but not too close. He didn't know if those two remembered. If they did, he thought they would hate him.

Ralsei hugged Frisk back. "I'm glad you're ok! It seems everyone is back to normal! Look, we even ran into Susie and Lancer!"

"Hey." Kris whispered in Frisk's ear. "What is HE doing here?" Her voice was tense and guarded.

Frisk backed up. Realizing that they both remember. And both of their friends are back. Susie waved awkwardly as Lancer had an oblivious look on his face. She waved at Lancer and Susie, not trying to seem rude to ignoring Kris, but she didn't want to ignore new faces either.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Frisk." She smiled then walked over to Sans. She took his hand and looked at them. "This is the real Sans."

"The evil skeleton?!" Lancer goes to hide behind Susie. It looks like Ralsei and Kris did tell them their story...

Sans smiled sadly at Frisk taking his hand. "I'm not-"

He was interrupted by Susie talking to Lancer. "Don't worry, dude. I got ya covered." She walked forward with her ax towards Sans. She didn't actually plan on hurting him. Just intimidating him. Sans took a step back anyway.

Ralsei rushed in front of Susie. Susie was caught off guard and lowered the ax on instinct, holding it just inches from Ralsei's head. Ralsei flinched but then collected himself again.

"Susie! You shouldn't attack like that!" He scolded.

"I wasn't really going to attack him!" She argued. "Plus, you shouldn't get in the way."

"Let him speak before you act out! Maybe he has changed!" He didn't stand down.

"Changed? That's hard to believe." Kris glared.

Frisk embraced Sans protectively, looking at all of them. "Sans was effected by the LOVE virus. The very thing that driven ones to insanity."

It's strange. Frisk remembered their voices rooting for her in the end. She guesses that isn't something they could possibly remember.

"That doesn't mean-" Kris tried to speak.

"Sans spared Ralsei!" Frisk made herself closer to Sans. "But Chara... he..."

Kris stayed quiet. She had no idea about that part of the story. Ralsei was too injured at the time to remember anything.

"Ralsei. You're a zombie?!" Lancer gasped.

"Um...my memories are actually a little fuzzy." He laughed nervously. "I guess I must have died at some point. That's not important now though!"

Ralsei went over to Kris and grabbed her hand. "Kris, can you please give him a chance? I believe that he is a good person."

Sans wasn't sure what to think of everything that was happening. He stayed close to Frisk. "Thank you for trying," he told her. "It might be a lost cause though."

As Ralsei was trying to convince Kris, Frisk was talking to Sans.

"I won't let any harm come your way." Frisk softly felt the side of his cheek. "As long as you're with me, I can show those who remember the real you."

Sans tried to keep from smiling but couldn't. Her doing that calmed his nerves some. "I hope so."

Kris looked over at Sans and Frisk. The way she was looking at him. And him to her. She sighed.

"I have to admit," Kris started. "That compared to Chara and how Frisk told us about how you were before, I'll give you a chance. BUT. That doesn't mean that I trust you fully yet. I'm sure you understand since I met you as an enemy at first."

"Yeah." He chuckled nervously. "I understand. I'm actually surprised you would give me a chance at all."

Ralsei's mood lifted at that. "So I guess we can all travel together now? We just need to find Noelle now!"

"Right, we should find her!" Frisk agreed.

"Tch." Kris scoffed towards Sans. "It's only because of how Frisk looks at you like that." Then she made an additional comment. "It's no wonder you were so determined to get to Sans."

Frisk blushed.

Kris started to scold. "I do not support abusive relationships. If you ever lay a hand on her again, skeleton, I swear-"

"I won't!" He argued. "I'm not really like that!"

"Alright, alright," Ralsei started. "We shouldn't fight right now." He turned so he was standing across from Kris and facing her. He tried to get them focused on their goal again instead of arguing.

Kris huffed to calm herself. She didn't answer and took Ralsei's hand to walk with him.

Frisk hugged Sans's arm in comfort and looked up at him. "It'll take some time, but she'll see it too. What I see." She poked his cheek that was already blushing.

"Heh...maybe." He smiled a blushy smile. Kris's opinion in itself wasn't actually very important to him. Her not trusting him just made him feel guiltier.

Frisk and Sans followed behind them. She even noticed Susie glancing from behind too.

"Hey." Frisk squeezed his arm by hugging it a little more. "I know you feel remorse. Perhaps, overtime you can show them that you acknowledge it. I'm sure Kris and her friends will begin to actually become your friends as well."

It made him feel bad that Frisk was trying to make him feel better with everything he had done in the past. He knew he didn't deserve it. "It would be nice to make some friends," he admitted. "I just don't know right now."

"Baby steps." Frisk broke away to motioned herself from doing so. "I won't push you. But know that I won't ever run ahead of you. You'll always have me."

"You promise?" He looked at her with a bit of guilt and disbelief.

"Sans." Frisk takes his hand into hers and looks at him. "I promise. If that doesn't convince you...Tell me what else I'd need to do to help you."

"Nothing." He forced a smile. "I'll be ok. I just need...you."

"That's easy then!" Frisk chuckled. "You already captured my heart anyway."

"I don't understand why, but I'm glad," he said. "You being here with me helps me a lot. So...thank you again."

"Says the one who kissed me first." Frisk gives a teasing, blushy grin.

"Hey, I-" He realized didn't have anything else to say. "Ya got me there. You're too good at this." He chuckled.

"Mhm!" Frisk chimed. "So you got to watch out for me when you say things like that! I'll just remind you!"

"Ok, ok!" He waved his hands as he laughed. "I will try not to. Just be patient. It will take a while to get used to this."

Frisk was walking backwards as she was talking. "I can be patient, but doesn't mean I won't-" Her foot slipped from a rock underneath. "Woah!"

Sans quickly grabbed her hand to keep her from falling. In the moment he got freaked out and ended up pulling her closer to him as if protecting her from something. His face had a look of panic for a moment before he calmed down. "You should be more careful...You actually kind of scared me there."

Frisk stared at him. She didn't move from her position. She loved the feeling of his closeness. That look he gave her. That concern for her.

(Sans is way too hard on himself.) She couldn't help but lovingly smile at him. She's at a loss of words right now. She really was so happy. If only time can stay still like this.

That smile made him feel like he was safe. Loved somehow, even though he didn't believe he should be. He was starting to get emotional. (How does someone like her...love someone like me?) He pulled her closer into a hug as he felt overwhelmed with his love for her.

Frisk was a little surprised by the sudden hug. She nuzzled her face into his hoodie. (I'm so glad my feelings weren't one sided this whole time.)

Kris noticed Susie lagging behind, watching the couple's affection for each other. Susie's face was unreadable. She definitely didn't seem disgusted or angry though, which was strange for her. She just sort of watched. She noticed Kris looking at her and picked up speed.

Kris looked at what Susie was looking at. How Sans was holding Frisk. The fact he gently stroked her hair. It was like in their own little world.

(It's so strange... Seeing a maniac turn into this)

This is the original Sans. The Sans she never knew. She felt someone's fluffy hand touch hers. It was Ralsei's. It seemed he noticed her staring at them.

"He's really different now," Ralsei pointed out. "It is a bit strange to see him act like this." He noticed that she still looked distracted. "Is...something bothering you?"

"Yes. In fact, there is." Kris coughed and then yelled out to Frisk and Sans. "We're going to leave you guys behind if you don't keep up!"

With that, she turned around to walk away. She wasn't actually annoyed. She had a smile on her face.

Ralsei smiled when he saw the look on her face. He was relieved that she seemed to be more accepting of Sans now.

Sans backed away from Frisk and took her hand. "I guess we should get going before we fall too far behind."

With a squeeze of her hand into Sans's, Frisk nodded.

As the group made way throughout the... Underground? Dark World?

Might as well call it DarkGround at this rate. Frisk would be chatting about stuff about the Underground.

It would kind of confuse Susie since she's new around still. Lancer would be asking loads of questions. And also rambled about things of the Dark World.

Which could possibly be exaggerated. Very exaggerated. Since Ralsei would correct him at times.

Frisk would remember Undyne would be around. Good thing they didn't encounter her. There's two humans around. She really didn't want to fight her anyways.

As they ventured near a garden-like place outside a merged castle, they noticed two familiar figures.

"Noelle!" Ralsei called out.

Sans looked ahead upon hearing that, and spotted the two monsters. "Asriel?"

Noelle gotten emotional seeing everyone. She stood there seeing their younger selves.

Kris. Ralsei.

Even her old classmate Susie, who she used to be so shy around. Not anymore. To her, Susie is just a teenager now.

She also spotted... Frisk? She also looks younger too. With her shorter hair. It was hard to recognize her at first. She was waving with Sans next to her. Noelle was there when she saw Sans changing. So she didn't find him a threat.

Since Noelle didn't budge herself from moving, she felt all her friends: Kris, Ralsei and Frisk give her a large group hug.

"I thought I'd never see you all again!" Noelle bawled loudly.

"I'm sorry I left you alone like that." Kris sniffled.

"Everything will be alright now!" Frisk reassured.

"We're all together again now!" Ralsei said.

Azzy and Sans were standing by awkwardly. So were Lancer and Susie.

"Psst. Who is she?" Lancer asked Susie.

"That's Noelle," Susie responded. "I go to the same school as her. Don't you remember her from the story?"

"Nope." Lancer did a goofy smile.

Susie face palmed with a smile. "Really, dude? Did you pay attention at all?"

When the hug started to break up, Sans went over and grabbed Frisk's hand as he continued to look down, avoiding eye contact with Azzy or Noelle.

Azzy looked at the group. "Frisk, I apologize for the trouble I caused. Did you hear about the other Asriel having Flowey as a split personality? That was me. I was able to go back to my true form due to having part of his soul. Noelle has been calling me Azzy to avoid confusion."

"Your... true form is....?" Frisk felt baffled. "Whaaaaaaat?!"

She never knew a flower was in fact actually a goat monster.

"He's not dangerous!" Noelle mentions. "Azzy is... really sweet." She blushed.

"I know I wasn't always the nicest." Azzy smiled nervously. "But I feel bad for what I did and want to start over."

"See." Frisk looks at Sans. "He can relate to you."

"Oh, that's right." Noelle clapped her hands together in realization. "Sans... Don't be a stranger to us. We're willing to be your friend too."

The fact Sans and Azzy has guilt in similar ways. They could possibly become close friends. Both remorseful.

Sans smiled at that. "Ok..."

Azzy nodded. "We both went through similar problems. I would be happy to be friends."

Sans didn't know how to respond. It was strange to him how forgiving everyone was acting towards him. "Thank you," he responded simply.

"So you and Azzy are..." Kris nudges Noelle, with a smirk on her face. "...More than friends?"

All Noelle could do is bashfully nod.

Kris goes all big sister mode. Even though, technically, she isn't older. But the tallest of the girls. "You." She points at Azzy.

"Huh?" Azzy had a confused look on his face.

Kris clears her throat. "Noelle is one of my best friends. You better treat her right. If she ever is crying about you, you'll hear it from me!"

Protective vibes are spewing from Kris.

"Don't feel bad," Frisk whispered to Azzy. "She scolded Sans too."

"I heard that!" Kris noted. "I still stand by with that too."

"Ah. You're a very protective friend I'm guessing?" Azzy laughed. "Don't worry. I'll treat her right."

"You better!" Kris tried to seem intimidating, but Azzy's smile made it hard. She felt a twinge of sadness.

"Alright, alright." Noelle chuckled. "That's enough, Kris."

"Keep your woman in check, Ralsei." Frisk teasingly commented.

Ralsei had to stifle his laughter. "I love you, Kris."

"Gah!" Kris was embarrassed.

Everyone started to laugh. It was nice feeling this way after everything they all been through.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, Asgore was chatting with Asriel. "....Your mother will be thrilled to see you again!"

He paused. Sadly smiled. "But I probably shouldn't go with you."

Poor Asriel not understanding what was going on. He really believed he was talking to his dad, and that he would see his mom again soon. He was feeling a little homesick from being away from them for so long when he was merged with Azzy. He was missing Chara too.

"I'm excited to see her too!" He said excitedly. "Why shouldn't you come with me though? I'm sure she wants to see you too!"

Asgore straightens up. He tries to compose himself and puts his paw on Asriel's shoulder. "Son, your mom and I-"

But there was a sudden tremble. Asgore shielded Asriel protectively. He saw Undyne running towards him. She looks like she was trying to warn him of something.

"King Asgore!" She yelled. "There is a strange monster going around and hurting others! I helped some of them, but I don't know if I can hold him off forever!"

(King Asgore?) Asriel wondered. (But my dad isn't a king!) He pulled on Asgore's paw. "What does she mean 'king' Asgore?"

Asgore looked at Asriel in confusion. He couldn't answer him due to the Chaos King arriving.

"Ah, so YOU'RE a king." Chaos King howled in laughter. "There only needs to be one king!"

The chained attack went out aggressively towards Asgore. Asgore stands in front of Asriel and was able to deflect the attack along with Undyne.

...

Frisk, Sans and everyone else was hearing the commotion. It sounded close by.

Frisk clung onto Sans due to the trembling in confusion.

Sans held Frisk protectively as he got a serious look. Susie also had a protective stance in front of Lancer.

Kris felt Ralsei's paw shake in her hand. "This place looks like we're close to the castle. I wonder if it's the king causing trouble."

"D-dad?" Lancer started to get worried.

Kris looked at Susie. "If it is indeed the Chaos King, Susie, take Lancer the other direction."

(I definitely DO NOT want the same tragedy to repeat.)

Susie didn't question what Kris said, and just agreed. She didn't want anything to happen to her first friend. "Right. Don't worry, dude. No one is gonna hurt you with me around!"

Susie and Lancer had already fled to safety. Kris gets her weapon ready. Frisk looks at her in worry.

"Do... we need to fight him?" Frisk asked.

"The King isn't exactly merciful. We tried that route, unfortunately." Kris gritted her teeth.

Frisk started to tremble. She's getting worried. Why does it have to be this way?

Sans felt her quaking. "Hey, it'll be alright. I won't let him hurt you."

"But, Sans-" Frisk tried to speak.

"Noelle, I need you as backup!" Kris ordered as she ran ahead with Ralsei.

"R-right!" Noelle gulped. She was a bit worried too. But she knew the Chaos King wasn't any good.

Azzy took Noelle's hand. His eyes showed concern.

As they ran off ahead, Frisk didn't seem to budge. She was hesitant as she stood there with Sans.

"I don't want anyone to be killed." Frisk admitted sadly.

"We're all more prepared now. We know how to handle this." Sans paused. "At least...it sounds like THEY know how to handle this."

Frisk shook her head. "If they end up killing someone, it could happen all over again!" Without waiting, she ran off ahead towards where they went. "I have to stop them! There must be another way!"

But she felt Sans's hands grabbed hers. He's definitely fast still like before.

At first it seemed like he might argue with her. But then he said something else. "Don't go without me. I'm coming too."

"S-sorry." Frisk looked at him apologetically. "I ran without thinking."

He smiled at her. "You had the right idea."

There was a sound of clashing weapons between Asgore and Undyne against the Chaos King.

Kris, Ralsei, Noelle and Azzy saw what was happening from the distance. There was Asriel, standing behind Asgore. They were unaware of their presence.

Azzy stopped running which caused Noelle to stop too. "Asriel is up there...this could lead to some problems."

"Ah!" That definitely wouldn't be good. Noelle looked at Ralsei and Kris. "I'm sorry, we can't be here right now. We'll make sure others are safe!"

Ralsei nodded. "Good idea!"

“Noelle, what do you-“ Kris started, but they were already leaving.

Azzy takes Noelle with him. Frisk and Sans ran past them in confusion. As they caught up with Kris and Ralsei, they noticed Asgore saying something to Asriel in the distance.

"Get to safety, Asriel!" Asgore had a kind smile as he was being guarded by Undyne.

Asriel hesitated for a moment. He knew he wasn't doing anything to help, but it just felt wrong to run away like that. (Dad is strong though! I bet he can win!) He nodded with a smile and turned to run.

Swiftly, Kris and Ralsei joined the fight. Asgore and Undyne notices Kris being a human.

Undyne growled. (Now isn't the time to focus on humans. I can take care of her after this!)

"Human! Stand back! It isn't safe!" Asgore's words were confusing Undyne, but he gave her an 'I'll tell you later, look.'

"Don't worry, da-." Kris stopped herself. "I mean... We'll help you out." She had a sad look on her face. Ralsei knew why she had a change of expression.

He wanted to say something to her but knew that would sound crazy. He just gave her a sympathetic look hoping she got the message. He looked up at Asgore. "Yes! We will do whatever we can to help!"

The Chaos King mocklingly laughed, but he was weak. Asgore and Undyne did a heavy number of damage onto him before Kris and Ralsei arrived.

Asgore lifted his trident over to do the final blow, along with Undyne's spear and Kris's sword.

"Stop!" Frisk yelled out.

They all paused. Ralsei turned to look at Frisk and Sans.

"If ya kill him, it will only cause more problems," Sans said. "As much as I want to give him what he deserves, there has to be another way to handle this."

"What do you mean, human?" Asgore looked down at the tiny girl.

"I'm sure you're aware of LV. If you grow more of it, it wouldn't be a good thing." Frisk pleaded, but saw Undyne step in front of her.

"Why should we listen to a human, ya punk?" She asked. "How do we know you aren't trying to cause more trouble?!"

Despite Undyne's heart being in the right place, she always believed that humans were bad because of what they did to the monsters. Her protective nature led her to be highly biased against them.

"Undyne." Asgore softly spoke. "That's enough."

"Huh?" She turned to look at him. "But humans are the enemy! She's trying to stop us from protecting our kind!"

"Undyne." Asgore raised his voice. "Stand down." Then he looked over at the Chaos King, who was severely injured. He had a creepy smile.

"Take him and lock him away." Asgore ordered.

Undyne looked hesitant to comply, but knew better than to argue with him. "Alright..." She sighed and went over to the Chaos King.

There was a sound of armor clanking towards him. The Chaos King stared at her feet.

"Go ahead and kill me." He looked up at her. He licked his lips in a disgusting manner.

Undyne felt revolted by him. "Tempting, but I'm afraid I can't do that." She kept her composure. "Now, stand up."

The Chaos King didn't budge. "I don't take orders."

Asgore gave Undyne a nod of approval to use any force if necessary. Undyne forced him to stand up by roughly pulling him to his feet. "You would be better off if you did." She started trying to push him towards the direction of what she assumed was a dungeon. He was too heavy.

As they watched Undyne leave with the crooked king, Asgore looked down at Frisk and Kris.

"Humans." Asgore started. "I'm sure you heard the rumors about me. Killing humans."

Kris looked at him, in shock. But then brushed off any sentimental feeling. (This isn't my dad.) She reminded herself.

Undyne was listening too since she wasn't out of the room yet. The next statement bothered her.

"Fear not, for I am getting rid of that law today. There won't be any collecting of human SOULs anymore." Asgore announced with a smile.

Undyne bit her tongue. She was going to speak up, but decided against it. There was a lot of anger stirring within her, but she continued leaving until she was completely out of the room.

That was news to Ralsei. He also wasn't aware of that fact. He was glad that no one would be after Kris or Frisk. "I told you that it would be alright!" Ralsei said happily to Kris.

Kris just stayed quiet and forced a smile. But she's also relieved. Frisk was right. Killing would have brought ruin.

"In case you're wondering why I had that as a law..." Asgore began explaining the tragedy that happened to his two children. Asriel. And the human, Chara. Chara had planned to escape the Underground by eating buttercups. Which led to him being poisoned. They did reach the surface, but it was too late. Both of them died due to humans. Asgore wanted to reach the surface by gathering 7 human SOULs. All he wanted was his family back but he lost it all.

"I feel a heavy guilt... But... My son has returned! Asriel!" Asgore happily chimed. "Oh, if you'll excuse me, I must find him!" He left.

Frisk noticed Kris acting weird. Like Kris read Frisk's concern for her, she blurted something out. "Asgore was my adoptive father from my world."

"Since the worlds are combined somehow, maybe it's possible to see him again?" Ralsei suggested. "I don't know..."

"I know you're trying to make me feel better...but..." Kris bitterly smiled.

"Aside from Asriel, I haven't seen any duplicates of Asgore." Sans pointed out.

"That means... Asriel is..." Frisk gasped.

"Was my brother. I was adopted by them." Kris nodded.

"Universes..." Frisk thought out loud. "I wonder how many there are... Or if there's others like that. I mean, there's the two Asriels. Yet they seem to be polar opposites."

"Isn't Azzy from our universe?" Sans asked Frisk. Without waiting for her to respond, he spoke again. "I'm not too sure about the other one. I know he's from the same universe as that other Chara."

Ralsei looked a bit guilty and upset. He wordlessly took Kris's hand.

"I do think Azzy is from ours. Remember how he apologized to me?" Frisk reminded. Then she turned to Kris. "I'm here for you if you need to talk. It... Must be hard."

"I'm alright." Kris waved it off. "It just hits me when I see him..."

"Knowing Asgore, he'd offer you into the family anyways. He did with me in a different timeframe." Frisk chuckled. "That would make us sisters?"

"I..." Kris stopped and then gave a mature smile. "Yes. I like that idea. Although, you should know, Ralsei and I had gotten married before we died."

"Awww, personal vows?! Congratulations!" Frisk cheered. "But... To everyone else... We're a little too..."

"Young. I know. That's why I want it a secret between those who remember." Kris continued. "In the meantime, I do want to live with my husband."

Ralsei smiled at that. "I was hoping that if we are able to sometime I could show you a little about baking if you want? I mean since things are calming down and we will be living together...I'm a little out of practice because of everything going on, but I used to do it a lot when I was waiting for you to arrive. It's sort of something I have wanted to do for a while but never mentioned."

"Yes!" Kris exclaimed. "We'll be able to do so many things now! If they have it down here, I'd want to play that classic fighting game I used to play."

Frisk watching them chatter like this puts a smile on her face. She squealed. "You both are just so adorable!"

Sans chuckled in amusement at the way Frisk was acting. He saw that Ralsei's face was getting slightly red.

"Well...I'm just excited to spend time with her!" Ralsei said. "We never really had a chance before to relax and spend quality time together without being in danger. Now, it seems we might finally be able to!"

"Quality time, eh?" Frisk started to tease. "You two behave!"

"Hush, you!" Kris blushed. "We're all older and no one knows it but us! I am a responsible adult."

"We're physically 17 so...Kid." Frisk snickers.

"Adult. Mentally."

"Kid."

"Adult."

"Child!"

"You're shorter than me!" Kris pointed out.

"Touché." Frisk said. "But what month were you born?"

"November."

"Ha, I'm older! Mine's May!" Frisk laughed.

Kris groaned and then muttered. "Still short."

Sans and Ralsei were both laughing now.

Ralsei used the sleeve of his cloak to wipe away some tears from laughing. "I guess we need to find a place to live then." He looked at Kris.

"Yes." Kris takes Ralsei's hand. Then looks at Sans and Frisk. "We'll see you two around. Once we find a place, we'll give you a house tour."

"Mhm!" Ralsei hummed in agreement.

"Goodbye," Sans said.

After they left, Sans stood across from Frisk. "So...something has been bugging me," he admitted nervously. "The whole purpose of your journey in the first place was to go home, right?"

"Oh, yes." Frisk turned to Sans. "Hmm. That is a good question. I had forgotten about that." She chuckled. "I don't want to do that anymore."

"You don't?" He asked in surprise. "But isn't that the reason for all of this anyway? So you could leave?"

Frisk laughed. "Sans, that was so long ago. I'm surprised you even remembered."

Looking down, her foot made circular motions on the ground. Hands behind her back with her body swaying side to side. "I did say I wouldn't leave you, now didn't I?" She looked up and smiled.

"You did." He smiled at that. "But it was hard to believe."

"What should I do to make you believe me more?" Frisk asked.

"I don't know!" He looked to the side. "I don't know if there's anything you can do. The truth is, I will probably always be like this. Don't let that upset you."

Frisk stayed silent for a moment. It is hard not to be sad by it. But...

"I can't control that." Frisk smiled sadly. "It's because I love and care for you a lot so why wouldn't I not be? That doesn't mean I won't stop trying."

"I know. I know how you are." He smiled sadly at the ground. "I love your determined attitude you always have. I just don't think you can change that part of me. It's not because you did anything wrong. It's just who I am."

"I'm not trying to change you." Frisk replied. "But.... I just want to stay here.... with you...."

She started to cry. "I-if you don't want me to stay, I'll understand. But I won't stop giving my affection regardless."

She tried to make herself stop crying. "Ugh, ignore me with my emotions. I don't want to make you feel bad for me... I don't want you to feel worse or anything."

Sans went over to her and pulled her close into a hug. He could feel his own emotions get stronger until he, too, was crying.

"I do want you to stay," he said through his tears. "That's why I'm so scared. I want to believe you. I want to trust that you won't leave again. I just can't stop thinking that you will leave. I know it wasn't your fault. I...don't make any sense."

Frisk understands now. She rubbed his back in comfort and when she began to speak, he felt her breath hit his neck. “I regret it all. I won’t even go near the surface. The thought of going there…Terrifies me.”

Some of her tears fall onto his shoulder. “I’m afraid of being alone now.”

Those hallucinations of Chara happened when she was in the shower. She thought Chara was there. She never went into details about it with Sans. It’s a bit hard for her to talk about still.

"If you don't want me to I will never leave you alone." He sobbed. "I will always protect you. I can't lose you again."

"And I can't lose you either." She cried. Her face buried into his shoulder.

Hearing her say that made him lose it even more. His guilt kept coming back. He didn't think he could ever be free of it. He was truly breaking down. "I love you more than anything or anyone else in the world."

Frisk moved her head. Sans could feel her eyelashes giving him wet butterfly kisses on his face. "I feel the same way about you. I will always love you."

Her arms squeezed around him. They made their way to draping over his shoulders, with her hands slightly folded another. Her head backed away just to be able to look into his teary eyes with hers.

"Frisk..." He stared at her eyes. "If everything is really back to normal, and we can be happy now, why do I still hurt? Why can't I accept the fact that it's all fine now?"

"Because the only one who hasn't forgiven you..." She places her hand on the middle of his chest. "...Is yourself."

"I don't know how," Sans said tearfully. "I don't know how to forgive myself without feeling selfish. Then I have another reason to feel guilty."

"Do you think being with me is selfish?" Frisk placed her hand on his wet cheek. "I... too feel guilty... I... Just don't want you to be hurt because of me... I feel like it's my fault with everything.... I wish... I could take your pain away..."

"I feel selfish for just about everything I do." He chuckled, but it was a sad sound. "None of this is your fault. You aren't the one hurting me. I'm the one hurting myself."

"But you aren't selfish." Frisk shook her head. "When you hurt.... I feel it worse... Because I feel so helpless. I want to keep trying to help you. I want to take away your remorse." Both her hands are on his cheeks. "Let me in your heart more! Let me carry your burdens too!" Her crying gotten worse, but she was forcing a sad smile. "I'm here! Even if I am helpless! I'm... your other half..."

It's hard not to see it. She really loves him. The feeling. The compassion. Sans can feel it immensely.

"You have all of my heart," Sans replied. That look on her face, and the feeling he felt from her, made him smile through his tears. "I'm damaged. Probably even beyond repair. But if you still want me after everything...I won't stop you from trying to make those parts of me whole again. Just know that I might not ever stop hurting."

"I'll always want you. I'll always need you." Frisk kept trying to wipe her tears to be able to speak properly. "I'll continue to nurture you. Make you feel loved as much as I can."

"And..." She wanted to tell him about her hallucinations, but she chickened out again. She didn't want to make him feel worse. Perhaps, maybe it was a one-time thing? It only happened once.

(He doesn't need any more stress. I need to help him feel better.) She thought.

Sans closed his eyes and put his head against hers. She could feel his tears landing on her face. "And what? If something is bothering you then please tell me. I want to help you too."

"This is about you right now. Not me." Frisk's thumbs rubbed underneath his eyes as tears would come out. "You're my priority."

Him asking her made it hard for her not to just tell him. She wants to, but why does she feel also scared to? Perhaps it's an unreal anxiety she can't explain.

"But you're mine." He was tempted to grab her hand to get her to tell him, but her comfort did feel good. He was a little embarrassed for the fact that he just kept crying. He didn’t want to push her to talking about it. He said he would be patient regardless.

She continued to caress his face. "Yes, I'm yours. And you're mine too." She closed her eyes since she couldn't stop the tears. Seeing him cry made her want to more.

He opened his eyes up again to see her face. He reached out and put his hands on her wrists as she touched his face. "I don't know how many times I'm going to say this...I know I keep repeating it. But I can't seem to say it enough. I love you."

"I don't mind it. Say as many times as you want because I will say it too. I love you too." Frisk smiled.

She ignored the nagging feeling about telling him. A bit torn since he stopped trying to ask. But also her wanting to tell him.

(Maybe when the time comes when I’m brave enough, I can...)

He backed away a bit. "I guess you need to find a place to stay too? I can't deny wanting to live with you, but you can do whatever you want." He didn't know how he would handle being apart from her. He wanted to believe that she would always visit him, but he couldn't be sure until it happened. He didn't exactly trust his own mind.

"I...Um..." Frisk started to stutter a bit. "Want to..." She was blushing. "Live-..." Usually she can get her words out. But she's so tongue tied and shy right now.

(My goodness, Frisk, speak!)

He chuckled. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Frisk hid her face. "Sorry. When you said you wanted to live with me caught me off guard."

"Why?" He asked. He wiped away the last of his tears. "It just makes sense for me to want that. I want to be with you all the time."

"I want live with you too!" Frisk gotten more flustered. "D'oh. You just make me feel things like I never before... It makes me happy and shy...."

If only her hair was longer, she'd hide her face more. Frisk acting like this to Sans was adorable.

He felt his face turn blue. "I feel the same way too. You...look cute though..." He lowered his face a little into his hoodie.

Frisk's heart fluttered. Her heart pounded a bit. Being complimented like that and the way he was acting....

"You're also cute... I love your blush." That made her face redder.

"You're going to make me turn into a berry," Sans mumbled into his hoodie.

"A.... BLUEberry?" Frisk giggled.

Sans laughed at that. "Yep. I'm turning into a blueberry." He lifted his head up and Frisk could see his blushing face better. He rubbed his cheeks rather aggressively. "Why won't it stop?"

"Because I make you feel that way?" She giggled. Frisk admired his face. It was too cute. It was also making her blush worse. "It feels hot in here, doesn't it?"

He nodded. "That's because you're here." His blush got worse. "I-I mean...! That's not what I meant to say!"

Frisk felt her heart pounding because of that. She started to fan herself. "I-I didn't mind that. This side of you makes my heart go crazy."

"Mine goes crazy too when I'm around you." He took her hand and smiled at her. "You're my whole world."

Frisk felt herself slightly looking up at him. Edging herself closer. She holds his other hand too. "You are too."

The way she was drawing closer, made Sans draw closer to her too. Her lips was inches from his face.

Their faces met in their own kind of kiss, causing Sans to blush deeply. He wanted to keep the kiss lasting for a while to feel that closeness to her. His hand went to the back of her head and he gently stroked her soft hair until he stopped. He smiled at her with their faces still just inches apart. "I needed that."

"Don't stop." Frisk wanted more. She smiled with a blush on her face. They ended up giving each other a more passionate kiss. The warmth.

The intenseness of their hearts quickened. It was a wonderful, overflowing feeling of love. Neither of them wanted to withhold it, for it was filling their emotions with great happiness. A great relief to such sorrow from earlier.

...

Asriel kept running until he ran out of breath. He put his paw on a tree nearby to steady himself as he caught his breath. Then he heard footsteps from behind. He went to turn around, and...

"Noelle!" Azzy was there too, but he didn't pay him any mind. Asriel ran over and hugged Noelle, getting his face a little too close to hers.

"Hey!" Azzy pushed him away from her. "Didn't you understand all those times she told you not to get close to her like that?!"

"Huh?" Asriel's eyes went from Noelle to Azzy, and then back to Noelle again.

"Asriel. Um." Noelle kind of clinged to Azzy. She felt awkward. Earlier she said to HIM that she didn't mind it. But she was confused due to thinking about Azzy.

She sighed. "Listen, you're my friend, but you shouldn't hug me like that."

"But just a little while ago you said..." He noticed how she clung to Azzy. "Oh. You and Flowey are together?"

"Don't call me that," Azzy said. "Call me Azzy."

"I'm sorry, but there's two of you." Noelle started to explain. "You...both were merged. I had gotten to know Azzy first."

She started to fumble nervously with her hands. She knows how innocent Asriel is. "But... When he had his personality change to you, it made me... a bit off guard. I thought you were him earlier. But the way you were acting overwhelmed me a lot."

She's trying so hard not to sound mean. "I consider you a friend, Asriel. I don't want to hurt you..."

"Yeah..." He looked at the ground. "I...will keep being your friend no matter what." He looked up at her and she could see that he was crying a little. "I'm sorry that you had to deal with that."

Noelle had a look of guilt on her face. She doesn't like ever hurting others, but this was beyond her control. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on." Noelle looked to the side. "I was just very confused with who you are. I never meant for it to hurt anyone."

"Oh, I know!" Asriel forced a smile through his tears. "You're nice! I know you wouldn't want to upset anyone! I was confused too...thinking something that wasn't true."

Noelle looked at Azzy with sad eyes. She didn't know what else to say. She just feels terrible.

Really bad.

What else could she even say to that?

"It's ok." Azzy smiled at her sadly. He could tell what she was feeling. "You did nothing wrong. He will be fine."

Asriel wiped his eyes. "I want to go see if I can find Chara..." He started to walk away while looking at the ground. His SOUL ached so badly. It felt like his heart was broken. This feeling, he couldn’t understand it. But the fact that he did love Noelle too.

Chapter Text

There was a gasp.

Asgore had been looking for Asriel ever since the fight has end.

"What is...."

He saw that there was two of them. His face was in utter shock and confusion.

Noelle looked at Azzy in concern and is a bit nervous for him.

Asriel looked at Asgore. "Dad!" He ran over to him and hugged him while crying.

"That's...not your dad, Asriel." Azzy sighed. He felt the dread of meeting his dad like this. But he masked any hint of it.

Asgore was baffled. He looked down at Asriel. Or was that his son? Then he looked up at Azzy.

Asgore grabbed a hold of his head. He bitterly laughed. "Why is it that I see two of you? Have I gone insane?"

Azzy was staying silent.

"No, sir." Noelle spoke up. "You're not seeing things."

"This boy..." Asgore looked down at Asriel. "Isn't my son....?" then looked up at Azzy in confused. "You...?"

"I'm your son. But there are two of us because of there being more than one universe together," Azzy explained. "I've been going by the name Azzy to make it less confusing. That other one didn't know that you aren't his dad, so we didn't say anything...We didn't want to cause problems."

Asriel started to cry louder. "So...what happened to my dad then? A-and my mom?" He didn't move away from Asgore. It gave him some small amount of comfort to hug someone who looked like his dad.

Asgore's eyebrows furrowed. He slightly patted Asriel's back. "The experiment Alphys did... Was a success? You're really back?"

Noelle looked in question. "Experiment?"

Asgore didn't let Azzy speak. He's a bit overwhelmed with emotions. "This is... A lot to take in... Where are this one's parents?"

"I'm from another universe. So… He is too. There's a lot to explain..." Noelle said. "There was a calamity and it caused our universes to merge. This is speculation of course."

"And can you return?" Asgore asked.

"It's..." Noelle's face darkened. "Impossible."

"So I can never see them again?" Asriel asked. "I can never..." He wasn't able to finish.

"There's a lot we don't know," Azzy said. "A lot of unanswered questions right now."

Asgore was silent for a few moments. "Asriel." He looked at Azzy. He lifted one paw up. "Can you come here? It's been.... far too long."

Azzy just nodded and went over to him, hugging him in return. He didn't realize that he actually missed the feeling of Asgore's hugs. His eyes started to moisten. "I missed you..."

"I too..." Asgore looked down at the other Asriel. "And you, I may not be your real father, but I will gladly let you in our family."

Asriel of course wanted that. He thought that maybe it would make him feel better. He wasn't sure though. "Maybe I shouldn't live with you...I will visit sometime though." He wiped his eyes. "I still want to look for my brother."

"Chara?" Asgore blinked. "Is Chara back?!" His expression changed.

"Um.. Well..." Noelle looked at Azzy.

"Not ours," Azzy clarified. "The one from his world is...a bit different."

"You see-" Noelle tried to speak.

"Asriel!" Asgore didn't call him Azzy. He cannot get used to that. "Who is this young lady?"

Now that he finally realizes.

"That's Noelle." Azzy's face blushed a little as he smiled at her. "She's uhh...my girlfriend."

Asriel hid his face in his scarf. He felt that pain again. With those words.

"Girlfriend?! But you're just a ch-" Asgore realizes Azzy has horns. Definitely not a child, but an older teenager. He then coughs. Little does he know, Azzy's an adult mentally.

"Asriel." He said to Azzy. "A girlfriend is a lot of responsibility. Do we need to have the talk?" He sweated nervously.

Noelle face palmed and laughed. "We're a lot older than you realize."

"You are?" Asgore blinked. "OH, THANK HEAVENS!"

This is Asgore. The embarrassing parent. But also very good at heart. He coughed nervously. "When's the wedding? I want grandchildren!!"

More embarrassment.

"Well...we just got together." Azzy's face got more red. "It's a little early to talk about things like that."

Noelle's face was super red too. All she could muster up was. "Y-yeah."

"Oh!" Asgore laughed nervously. "Sorry. I tend to think about things without asking ahead. Tori hated that." Then he put on a sad smile.

"Er, it's alright." Noelle nervously looked to the side.

Noelle, come here." Azzy smiled and moved an arm to invite her into the group hug.

She walked over into Azzy's arm. She snuggled up against him while Asgore smiled with a nice hug around them all.

When the hug was over, Asriel still stayed for a moment longer than Azzy or Noelle. He finally stepped away and had a small smile.

Azzy was standing close to Noelle so their shoulders were touching.

Asgore stood there awkwardly. His son now has a girlfriend. His son is back. He also has twin sons?! He realized something.

"Asri...Azzy. Ahem." Asgore chuckled. "This will take some time to getting used to this. Will you be staying here...? Or with your mother? Oh wait... You're grown up so you might want to find a place of your own."

Azzy nodded. "I will find a place of my own. Don't worry though. I will visit you and mom all the time." It was a bit of a relief to him that he wouldn't have to choose a parent to live with. He felt like that would be a nightmare.

"Splendid! Please, do visit both of us a lot!" Asgore exclaimed. "I'm sure your mother would love your girlfriend!"

Noelle blushed.

"I will leave you two alone now." Asgore smiled widely. He looked down at Asriel. "Will you want to stay with me for the meantime? I'd love to introduce you to Tori...el."

"M-" Asriel shook his head to correct himself. "Toriel..." That felt so weird to say. "I want to see her too!" His eyes widened. "I guess I can stay with you for now...I still want to see if Chara is alright though."

"It's alright. You can call her mom. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Asgore softly laughed. He wanted to ask him if he can help find Chara, but realized he needs to present the new law to all the monsters. "Alright, well, you can find me in my throne room. Just ask anyone to direct you there later."

"I will. Thank you...dad. I can call you that still, right?" Asriel had a sad smile. He didn't want to replace Azzy. It just made him feel less upset to have something familiar. Even if it was just him trying to ignore the truth and pretend that nothing was wrong.

"Certainly!" Asgore smiled. The two of them went separate. Noelle and Azzy waved to both of them.

Things were...still awkward between Asriel and Noelle though.

As Asriel was walking away, he paused to wave goodbye at the two. Azzy looked at Noelle. "I hope things don't get too awkward between you two. It seems like you were good friends."

"I am worried. I feel like I messed up." Noelle looked at the ground, feeling a heavy guilt.

"Hey, don't say that." Azzy put his hands on her shoulder. "None of this was your fault. You got caught up in something you couldn't control."

Noelle sighed. "I know. I'm always this way. I hate hurting others.”

"It had to happen." He used his thumb to rub her shoulder. "Plus, he will get over it. Maybe he will even mature more from this."

"I guess so." She liked the feeling of him rubbing her shoulders. She looked at him. "Say, Azzy. You need help finding a place to live?"

Honestly, Noelle isn't from around here. When she first stumbled upon this place, she was lost and ended up staying in abandoned places.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find somewhere. That's not to say I don't want you with me though." He smiled. "If you want to come with me to look I would really like that."

"I always want to be with you!" Noelle gotten bashful. "Do you have any areas in mind?"

"Well, Waterfall or Snowdin sounds nice if we can get there. Definitely not Hotland though. I would probably get overheated there." He laughed nervously.

Noelle laughed along with him. "That's very true! Which reminds me, I'll have to find a place myself. It's going to feel nice not having to run away from danger all the time."

"It will definitely be different. I hope I know how to function without constantly fighting to survive." He rubbed his neck.

Noelle kind of mumbled a little something to herself.

"What was that?" He asked.

"N-nothing!" Noelle blushed and looked away.

"Come on! I know you said something!" He had a teasing look in his eyes.

"You can't make me say it." Noelle booped his nose with her finger.

Azzy made a grumpy growling noise but couldn't keep from smiling. "Why not?"

"Because." Noelle smiled. It was fun to tease him.

He put his arms around her and got closer to where he had to crane his neck to look at her. "Not even now?" His breath made the tuft of fur on top of her head slightly move.

"N-no!" Noelle squeaked as her heart skipped a beat. "I-I won't give in!"

"Are you sure?" He used one of his paws to stroke her hair. His touch was so teasing.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She was blushing a lot and she can only squeak as an answer.

He laughed. "You know I won't let this go until you tell me."

"It's fine! You're warm! And soft-" Noelle stopped herself and made herself blush more. "I-I mean!!!"

"It's alright. You're pretty warm and soft yourself." He smiled at her. "I didn't say that I would let go if you told me, did I? I just said I wouldn't stop asking until you do."

"I...Umm..." Noelle stammered. "And I won't give in to telling you... um..."

He kissed the top of her head. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Ahh! Yes!" Noelle was doing it on purpose at this rate. She loved the affection.

It wasn't like Azzy couldn't tell what she was doing, but her reactions were cute. Plus, he loved treating her like that. He decided it would be a perfect opportunity to tease her some more. "You're smart, you know that? And I will absolutely keep falling for it." He kissed her again.

Noelle blushed deeper. "Your kisses are sweet. I can't resist you showering me with them." She giggled. "If you keep this up, MAYBE I'll tell you."

"Oh?" He smiled and planted a kiss on her nose. "What about now?"

The sensation mildly tickled her nose. Her smile gotten bigger. "N-no."

"Oh, I see how it is." His paw stopped stroking her hair and stayed on the back of her head, gently guiding her face towards his.

As Asriel drew near her, she felt a warmth spread throughout her sense touch. His eyes looked like they were filled with love. Slowly, she closed her eyes, knowing what to expect. Her lips puckered up as a hint lf blush spread across her face more.

He could see a glimpse of her flush just as he was closing his eyes and felt her lips touch his. His other hand that he wasn't already using caressed her soft face. He took a step back and smiled at her lovingly. "Ready to tell me?"

Noelle was a bit mesmerized. She almost forgot what she mumbled from earlier. Snapping back into reality, she plays with her ear to make it twitch. "I was hoping... We could live next to each other."

She put her arms around him, wanting to feel that warmth more.

"I was hoping that too. That way we could just walk over and see each other whenever we want." He was kind of staring at her ear. He reached out to touch it and it twitched again. He stifled his laughter. "That's adorable, Noelle."

"Eek!" Noelle's face is back to being red. "W-well, I think you're.... dndldndndkd." She talked gibberish at the end, slightly on purpose. But more so, she's flustered.

His expression and how he looks at her. He's so...

HNNGGGG! A heart throb!!

He laughed softly. "I'm not sure what you said, but it sounded like a good thing."

Delicately, her hand reached towards him. Feeling romantic, she started to feel his, long fluffy ears. "Azzy, I said you're handsome...."

At the end of his ear, she smooched it. His fur tickled her lips a little bit.

Azzy loved that feeling he got from her doing that. Her hands and her lips felt so gentle and caring. He gazed at her happily.

She started to kiss every inch of his face, finding herself getting flustered doing so. From his forehead, to nose, to his cheeks. "This is for earlier."

"You don't have to-" He stopped talking when he received a small peck on the lips. "Ok, ok. This feels nice." He blushed a little.

"Heehee. Got you to blush." Noelle giggled as she rubbed her nose against him, giving him an eskimo kiss.

Azzy put his paws on the sides of her arms as she did this, his smile getting bigger.

"Azzy." Noelle kept smiling and looking at him. "I'm so lucky to have you."

"No." He shook his head slightly. "You're so deserving." He started to sweat nervously. "Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound so conceited...it sounded romantic in my head."

(You're deserving of someone better than me...) He didn't say that out loud. He didn't want to upset her when the moment was so perfect.

Noelle softly giggled. "I don't see it that way at all." She started to play with her hair.

"I'm just so happy...."

She had always dreamt of finding love. She thought it was impossible and hopeless at the time where she was always striving to survive.
Then she suddenly, randomly realized. "Your dad.. He's... a king. Which makes you-"

"Unfortunately, it does make me a prince." He felt slightly uncomfortable saying that. "I don't intend to live like one. It's a little too much for me. I just want to be with you and live a peaceful life."

"Really?" She asked. Then she smiled. The fact that he just wants to be with her makes her feel really special.

"Your dad was....Interesting. But also nice." She wonders what his mother is like.

Parents.

She nearly had forgotten that word. How long has it been?

"I wish I could introduce you to mine, but that's also impossible." She nervously laughed.

"Noelle...I would have loved to meet them." He gave her a sympathetic smile. "If you want you can tell me about them. It would be nice to know what they were like."

"My father... He died of a terminal illness when I was sixteen." Noelle started to wave it off as Azzy’s expression saddened. "Don't feel bad! He died peacefully. As for my mother, she... Was so busy with her work to even spend time with him. She gotten mentally insane. Had to get locked up in an asylum. Whenever I would visit her, she would always smile at me. I know she would try to speak, but no words would come out. My mother, I respect and love her."

She continued. "My father, he was always full of energy. He loved sports and would pick me up, spin me around. We would have inside jokes. Laughs. My mother, I didn't get close to her until she lost dad."

He couldn't help but smile. "It's sad that things ended up the way they did, but at least it sounds like you had some good times together. Those memories will always be with you. We can be sure of that now."

Noelle nodded. “Yes, it took me some time with my grief. As you can see, I don’t deal with death so well…”

Azzy’s hand started to intertwine with hers. “I’m happy we’re both here. Alive. Together.”

“Me too.” She rested her head unto his chest.

B-bmp.

B-bmp.

She giggled. “I hear your soul beat.”

"It's that loud?" He laughed as he put his paw on the top of her head and started to slowly give her head rubs, enjoying the feeling of her soft hair underneath his paw pads.

"Yeah." Noelle looked up at him. She gave him a teasing smile. "I wonder who's making your soul beat like this, hm?"

"You got me there." He was starting to notice how the more time he spent with her, the more he got flustered easily. Underneath that tough exterior he was really a big softie like his dad.

She drew closer to him. "C-can you feel mine?" She held him closer so he could feel hers. For some reason, asking him that made her super flustered.

Sure enough, he felt her soul beating against him. "I can feel it." He put a paw on her back to keep her close. "I love it."

Feeling the warmth of Azzy's embrace and the rhythm of his soul, it was super comforting to a point it was making her sleepy. She let out a yawn.

"Someone's tired," he teased. "Will you be able to walk with me to find somewhere to stay? We can stop somewhere to rest if you'd like. It's going to be a long walk."

Yawning again, she nodded. It's been such a long time since she felt so relaxed. Usually, she gets exhausted from running or using her magic 24/7. This is a different kind of fatigue.

"Well, I don't want to keep you up forever since you're tired." He took a step back. "We should get going."

Taking his hand, Noelle sleepily smiled. "You're so considerate."

Having him notice these things right away made her soul feel tender.

He looked down at her and all he could do was smile. He loved her so much.

...

After walking for a while, they finally reached an area of Waterfall. The wishing room. "Hey, Noelle." He got her attention. "Have you ever been here? They call it the wishing room. Monsters here never had a chance to wish on the real stars, so we make our wishes here instead." He looked up at the glittering stones above them. "Have you seen the stars in your world?"

"Yes. It's a bit surreal to me that monsters are locked underground." Noelle replied. "We've always lived on what you all call, the 'surface'. In our history, there wasn't any war between humans and monsters."

Azzy was fascinated to hear about that. What a peaceful world that sounded like. Well, was peaceful.

Looking up at the ceiling, she gazed at them sparkling. "They're pretty... I think I'll make a wish."

He nodded. "I always like to make one when I pass through here too."

He didn't really believe in wishes. Whenever he made one, they never came true. He just thought it was fun. It made him feel a little better about the things he didn't have but wished he did.

He looked over at her. There was a glittering reflection of the stones in her eyes. He had a wish in mind. (I wish that we had met some other way. Maybe in another time with better circumstances. I wish that we could love each other without the past that we have.)

Before she made her wish, she sat herself down onto a bench. She patted the seat next to him. "My legs hurt a little bit so this is a good place to rest up."

He sat down beside her. He couldn't help but wonder what her wish was. "Did you make a wish yet?"

She shook her head. "I'm about to."

Clasping her hands together, closing her eyes shut, she thought to herself: a wish.

(I wish to continue living in peace. I am thankful to have survived such a casualty. I wish to always remain by Asriel's side. I don't have a family anymore so... I wish to build one with him too someday.)

She started to blush. (Ahh! That's thinking too far ahead already! But...A family would be nice to have again.)

Seeing her blush made him chuckle. (She's so cute.) He scooted over closer to her and put his arms around her.

The touch of his arms was rather soothing. Extremely soothing.

"I... finished my wish." She didn't open her eyes yet. It was a bit hard to.

He could feel her breathing start to slow down, indicating that she was falling asleep. He kissed her head. "We can find places to stay tomorrow."

As she drifted off into a deep sleep. Her hands slowly drooped down. Her head rested against his shoulder, while smiling. Her hands clinged against his shirt making herself closer to him in her sleep. This is the second time she's done this. The first time, Azzy wasn't in control. It was Asriel.

Those thoughts come into his mind what his initial reaction was.

He couldn't help but feel aggravated with Asriel. He hadn't been able to say what was on his mind. To act how he wanted with Noelle. Instead, Asriel had said those things that made no sense.

It was like he was trapped and forced to watch the disastrous conversation between the two. He didn't hate Asriel. He knew that he didn't understand. He couldn't help getting a little angry though.

Yet when he was with Noelle like this, he felt conflicted. He didn't feel deserving of her love. He felt like she deserved better. After all, he had hurt her in ways that she should never have to go through.

"I love you," he whispered. No response of course because she was asleep. He didn't know what he was expecting. He closed his eyes and tried to get his restless mind to be quiet.

....

Sans and Frisk have been making their way out of the castle. It was a strange setting. The castle had parts of the Dark World's castle in it. Some monsters were talking to others amongst their confusion. They made it through until they were reaching a secluded exit.

"Frisk."

A voice whispered from the shadows.

A familiar voice that sent chills down Frisk's spine.

(Another hallucination?) She assumed. Her hand started to tremble a lot into Sans's hand. Sans looked at her in concern. She was trying to ignore the voice until they both saw who was in front of them.

A male with slightly medium length hair appeared. He was slightly transparent. A green and yellow striped sweater was on him. His eyes are a red-brown hue. There wasn't any sinister expression on his face, he hesitated and said, "Greetings."

Frisk started to breathe rapidly. Her shaking gotten worse. There was a rapid amount of traumatic flashbacks playing through her head.

"Are you-" The spirit had a worried expression on his face, but was interrupted.

"What are you doing here?!" Sans snapped. He summoned bones in a threatening manner. His eyes pierced red and blue. Then his expression changed. "Chara? That's you, right? You look different..." He was a little thrown off by how he looked and halted any powers he summoned.

"I am Chara but..." Chara frowned. "Sorry, I'm not that Chara you know. I'm your universe's one. You see, I'm not exactly alive."

Frisk was too scared to respond. She didn't snap out of her panic attack just yet.

Sans looked at Frisk. "Hey..." He squeezed her hand. "It's alright. No one is going to hurt you."

Frisk couldn't calm herself down and wrapped her arms around Sans, burying her face into his chest. Her rapid trembling soon calmed down. "Sorry..." Her voice was shaking.

He began to rub her back, and his gaze returned to Chara. "So what do you want?" He continued to hold Frisk close.

Feeling guilty, seeing Frisk's reaction, Chara spoke up. "I'll make this as short as I can. You see, that CHARA had erased himself so... You don't need to worry about him anymore."

Frisk gasped in response, but couldn't look at him still. She decided to just listen. Sans wasn't sure how to feel about that. He continued to glare at the other Chara as he waited for him to finish and for him to leave.

"I came here for you to give his brother a message from him-"
Chara tried to continue.

"Why don't you just tell him yourself?" Sans growled. “Don’t you see what you’re doing?”

"His brother, he's... a bit naive. Sensitive to hear the message coming from me." Chara sadly looks at Frisk. "I didn't know she'd react this way either. I'm not sure what that Chara's done." He sighed.

"I would have went to Noelle, but my brother's with her and he isn't exactly fond of me." He started to step back. "Please, tell his Asriel that he's sorry for leaving him. He's never coming back." He looked away. "Frisk doesn't have to do it, you can do it, Sans. Only if you want to. I'm just a messenger after all."

Sans hesitated for a moment. But then, he nodded. "I will." He looked down at Frisk and tried to calm her down as her face planted into his chest.

"I'll leave. I'm sorry, Frisk. I won't come back to you." With that, Chara disappeared.

Frisk was unaware and kept breathing super heavy. Trying to compose herself.

"He's gone now." Sans continued to rub her back in comfort.

The warmth of his hand put her at ease. She slowly backed up from him, but not too far. "I'm sorry, I... Am alright now." She exhaled.

"That's good to hear." He sighed. (Will she always have to deal with these panic attacks? It's hard to see her like that when it happens.)

Both of them venture to find Asriel, wherever he is at. Frisk noticed Asriel was looking around. As if, he was looking for someone.

"A-" Sans started to talk.

"Chara?" Asriel turned around when he heard a voice. His eyes were a bit puffy from where he had been crying, but he had a hopeful look. "Oh!" He was a little disappointed when he saw who it was. "Hi!" He waved a paw.

"Are you alright?" Frisk noticing the way his expression was. He looked like a lost puppy dog.

"Mhm!" Asriel nodded. "I can't find him anywhere though...and it's been a long day. I'm a little tired from searching." He looked down. "I'm starting to worry that something happened to him..."

Sans wasn't too fond of the idea of breaking the news to Asriel. But, he didn’t want Frisk to talk about him. "Asriel...Chara isn't here."

"What do you mean?" Asriel's soul started to pound.

"He doesn't exist anymore," Sans said. "He erased himself from existence. He said he was sorry for leaving you like this."

Asriel's tears immediately started to fall again. "But..." He had a hard time talking. He felt a strong feeling of grief. His parents, and then Chara...they were all gone.

"We're so sorry, Asriel." Frisk had a sorrowful expression. No one would want to hear this type of news. She got a handkerchief out and hands it over to him. She didn't think a hug is appropriate since he's the opposite gender. And also the fact that she doesn't know if Sans would get jealous even if it's a hug amongst friends.

Asriel tried to use it to wipe his eyes, but he just kept sobbing. Sans couldn't help but feel bad.

"I just...want...to go home. With mom and dad and Chara." With everything that had happened, it was like he had been away from them for so long. He didn't want to think that he would have to live like that for the rest of his life.

Frisk tried not flinching at that name, but shook it off. "If you need anything, we'll be your friends. You don't have to deal with this alone."

"I know..." Asriel tried to calm down, but it didn't seem to work. "I miss everyone."

"Asriel!" There was a familiar, womanly voice coming from the distance. It alerted everyone to look that direction.

"M-mom!" Asriel ran over to her and hugged her like he did Asgore. This time he knew it wasn't actually his mom. It still felt nice though.

"Oh my." Toriel laughed and cried at the same time. "I've heard I have two sons now. But it doesn't matter. Even if you aren't from here, I will be a mother to you, alright?" She squeezed him tightly.

He nodded. "I would love that." He smiled through his tears.

Toriel looked up, noticing Sans. "You..."

"Uh oh." Sans chuckled nervously. "Sorry for, uhh...destroying your door. I was trying to get to Frisk."

"Frisk?" Toriel looked at Frisk. She warmly smiled. She then realized that those two were rather cozy together from before. She slightly chuckled. "It's nice to see another monster love humans like me. But a bit more than I."

Sans blushed. "Yeah...I do really love her. I used to not like humans, but she changed my mind."

With that comment, Frisk blushed too. Toriel snickered.

"I'll let you two lovebirds alone." She takes Asriel's paw into hers. "Come, Asriel, I'm sure you have stories to tell me. I'll bake you a butterscotch pie at home."

He leaned against her as they walked. "I want to tell you all about my world!"

Frisk and Sans watched them walk off. Asriel’s sad expression seemed happier. She was glad to see that.

Chapter Text

"So what's this about breaking a door to get to me?" Frisk nudged Sans's arm playfully.

"Well, I woke up from the reset and you weren't there! So I decided to go to where you fell. There was a big door in the way so I just...kinda...made it not be in the way!" He spoke using his hands.

"Sans! You didn't have to do that!" Frisk hip bumped his hip as a way to nudge at him again. It was adorable how he was explaining things though.

"I panicked." He smiled nervously. "I didn't know where you were or if you were safe." Her being flirty towards him made him blush a little bit.

"Aaaawww!" Frisk squeed. Having someone worry for her safety like that really touched her heart. "You're such a sweetheart." Saying that made her get flustered. "Thank you...For caring for someone like me."

"Someone like you?" He asked. "Why do you say it like that? You know I love you!" He hugged her with his blue face. He found her adorable. Why did she even say that about herself?

Frisk's heart tingled. Her face was flushed with a pink shade. She wrapped her arms around him. "I really love you too. And I don't know. I'm just being weird about myself."

Seeing Chara was bringing up negative feelings about herself again. She started to feel disgusting all over again.

"Don't be." He backed away and smiled at her sincerely. "I fell in love with you for a reason, didn't I?"

Frisk smiled sadly. "It's going to be hard for me to heal, but with you, I believe you can make me feel better about myself."

"I will try my best." He took her hand. "Heh. I'm here if you want to taco 'bout it." He chuckled. "That was terrible, I know."

"Pfft." Frisk couldn't help but laugh. "I still love your puns. Thank you." She looked around. She didn't feel too comfortable with some monsters sometimes passing by. "I think I'd rather talk about it... privately somewhere. Being in public like this is a bit unsettling for me."

"I understand. We can-" He stopped abruptly as a realization hit him.

Frisk blinked with the sudden pause. "What is it?"

"I kind of left Papyrus alone earlier," he said. "I was in such a rush to find you...and then with everything that's happened I forgot..." He felt guilty that he forgot about his own brother. He face palmed.

"Oh my gosh!" Frisk exclaimed. Then another thought popped in her head. "He also probably doesn't know who I am! Maybe that'll cheer him up if he's mad at you?"

"I hope so." He felt even guiltier. "I'm sorry. We can talk about what's bothering you sometime. I just...don't want to leave him alone for too long."

Frisk nodded. "It's alright."

(I'm not sure if I want to talk about it though...He has enough on his plate.) Frisk felt the overwhelming thoughts of insecurity weighted on her mind.

"Can you still teleport?" She asked.

"I should be able to." He thought for a moment. "Will it hurt you?"

Frisk smiled at his concern. "I'm fine. I actually gotten used to it."

"Then, if you're sure..." He took her hand. He focused on trying to make his powers work. His eyes suddenly lit up with the same purple ring. The crazed look of before. His eyes both glowed. He couldn't see it himself, but Frisk could. She slightly squeezed it in reaction. She wasn't necessarily scared, since he tried protecting her in that state. She hesitated, but asked. "Are you feeling ok?"

She didn't want to make him feel bad. Remembering how hard he is in himself. She was only asking out of consideration, not fear.

"Yeah...?" He wasn't sure what was wrong since he couldn't see what his eyes looked like. Nothing felt different to him. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't want you to freak out, but..." Frisk continued. "Your eyes changed their color." She rubbed his hand. She didn't want to lie to him at all, but she's prepared to keep him at ease.

Despite her soothing voice, his face showed distress. Before he could say anything else he had teleported to a random area in Hotland. He put a hand on his head.

"I didn't mean to take us here. I'm sorry." Since his magic was powerfully connected to his emotions, the strong amount of fear while he was in the process of using his magic caused him to teleport somewhere random. He still felt a little scared, but he was trying to hide it.

"No, no. It's alright!" Frisk was already starting to sweat a little bit, due to the heat. Gently, she placed her hands onto his face. "I'm sorry, I should have told you after we go to our destination."

There was a look of extreme guilt on her face. Seeing Sans acting like this made her feel awful. Like she had failed him. Her thoughts raced in her head.

Should have told him in a better way.

Or maybe, should've never told him at all.

Such an idiot you are, Frisk....

"Don't, Frisk." He had a hard time keeping eye contact with her. "It wasn't your fault. I just made a little mistake, but it wasn't because of you."

"Sans. Please, look into my eyes." It stung her heart a little bit seeing him this way again.

He forced himself to look into her eyes.

"No matter the shade of your eyes," Her eyes stared into his. "They're the eyes I love." Then she thought of a pun to cheer him up.

"Tibia honest, EYE think your eyes are gorgeous in any state." She felt her face get hot. The heat was making it worse. She felt herself getting a bit overheated, but tried not to show it.

He laughed at her pun, despite a few tears having formed. There weren't enough to actually fall though. "I was scared that I would go back to the way I was. That using magic would corrupt me in some way. I don't want to hurt you."

Her lips kissed both of his eyes, tasting the salt that was coming forth from it. "I'm not hurt. Just.... extremely... Hot from this heat. Which isn't your fault at all. I always hated Hotlands."

Then she landed a real kiss upon him. "I don't think your magic is corrupt. I didn't feel a hint of darkness in it."

"I panicked," he responded. "I wasn't thinking about that. I didn't feel anything bad either. Nothing different at all. It just freaked me out."

"See, you're...ok..." Sweat was dripping off of her face. This sweater was driving her nuts with the horrid humidity. Sans started to look blurry to her. Her footing was starting to get wobbly.

It must have been over a hundred degrees in this place. Even the ground beneath her feet felt hot enough to go through her shoes.

"Frisk!" He reached forward as she started to sway and ended up catching her. He quickly teleported to the best place he could think of to get water. Waterfall.

He laid her down on the ground beside a body and water. (Papyrus and I talked about first aid before when he was trying to get into the royal guard. Think, Sans! Think!)

He went over to the water. (I need to pour some water on her!) He cupped his hands in the water and then went over to her, pouring it on her face. (Is she better now?)

(...Nope. More water?) He went back and forth a few times as he desperately tried to cool her down. Then he remembered something else from what Papyrus had said.

(Remove any heavy clothing...) He examined her outfit. (She's wearing a sweater!) He gulped and started to panic more.

Nope. Nope. Nope. Not gonna go that route. Nope. Nope.

Instead, he rolled up her sleeves in hopes of helping her cool off. She was still sweating and he decided to run for more water.

Frisk felt a pounding headache. At some points, cool water had hit her face. While Sans went to fetch more water... She felt super hot still. It was hard for her to move around. Her throat felt dry. An extreme wave of thirst hit her. She tried slightly rolling up her sweater to make it more like a crop top, but she was too weak.

Slowly, she was drifting off to unconscious state again until...

More water splashed her face. Sans noticed that she was slightly awake. "Frisk! Can you hear me?!" He tried yelling to keep her awake, scared of what would happen if she passed out.

Her eyelids strained to make themselves slowly opened. It was hard to make out who was by her side at first, but saw Sans's worried expression. "Sans..."

"Do I need to get more water?" He asked. "You probably want to drink some too, right? Just hold on! Don't go to sleep!" He ran over to get another cupped handful of water.

Before Frisk could say anything more, he was gone. She still felt hot, but not as much as before. Struggling to stay awake, she moved her head a little side to side. Tapping her fingers to fight off anything that can make her drift off into a slumber.

A scramble of anxious footsteps are heard coming back her direction.
He tried to get her propped up to drink the water, but any movement made some of the water splash out of his hand. There was only a little bit of drinkable water left in his hand. He didn't have anything he could put it in, or things would be much easier. So he held his hand out with the water in hopes she wouldn't mind drinking it that way.

Slowly, Frisk drank the last bits of water from Sans's hand to a point where there wasn't any left, making her lips onto his hand. The water was refreshing, but she subconsciously kept trying to drink more. Her lips felt soft that made him blush a smidge.

Sans pulled his hand away in a flustered state. "I will get you some more." He was able to carry more water this time due to using both of his hands. After she was done with that too, he got an idea. He pulled his white shirt over his head and zipped his hoodie up. "Here. This is a lot less warm than that sweater. I can turn around so you can change."

Taking his t-shirt, Frisk was still a bit out of it. She nodded and started to slowly take her sweater off. Immediately, making Sans turn around. He was also blocking the doorway just so no one else comes in. He keeps a conversation going with her to make sure she's still alert.

"So, uh, this never happened before when you went through Hotland?" He asked, grasping for a conversation starter.

"It almost has." Frisk finally managed to pull her humid, sweater off. Due to her sweat, it made it stick to her skin a little bit. "But by time I reached the entrance, I gotten water for myself. There was a bunch of refillable water bottles near a cool jug."

"I wish I had known that," he said. "I would have gotten you some." He felt a little bad again. Him needing reassurance from her caused them to stand there talking for a while with Frisk overheating.

She was already starting to feel cooler, after taking her sweater off. Yet, seeing Sans stand there was making her feel hot again. Embarrassed. She knows he wouldn't turn around. She trusts him completely. That made her calm down a bit.

"I'm sorry, I was more worried about you than myself... I honestly wasn't thinking about it." Taking the shirt, she put her hand into it to start putting it on.

"Now that's one thing I can actually agree with. Heh." He smiled sadly. "You can tell me when you need something. I will be fine, but...that could've been worse for you than it was."

Fully, clothed, Frisk had the energy to stand up again. Still a little tired. "I'm just not used to it. I.... tend to put others before myself. You're so important to me, but... I messed up again, didn't I?"

She felt bad since she was trying to comfort Sans, it must have made it worse on him with her passing out like that. She took her sweater to carry. "You can turn around now."

He turned around to look at her. (There she is. Wearing my clothes again.) He felt his soul beat faster. "Don't feel bad. It's just because you're so selfless. It's good to take care of yourself too though."

"I should have considered how it affects you. I'll try better next time." Frisk notices the obvious blush on Sans's face. She looked away, making herself subtly blush. "What?"

"You look adorable in my clothes." His blush got worse.

Her face gotten redder. The shirt was rather big and baggy on her. But it was also super comfortable. She subtly sniffed a part of his shirt. It smells like...

"Ketchup." She giggled, saying out loud. "Your shirt smells nice, like you." Saying that made her heart thump loudly.

"Thank you. I guess all that time of drinking ketchup finally started to 'ketchup' with me." He winked.

Frisk giggled at that, but stopped as her stomach aggressively growled loudly. It was a funny sounding noise. Her face gotten red again and laughed awkwardly.

"I still think we should go see Papyrus if you're up for it," he suggested. "He will probably have some spaghetti ready to make."

"Wasn't that the original plan?" Frisk replied. "I'm alright now, if you're worried about that. Thank you for taking care of me." She had a guilty smile on her face still.

"It's no problem," he reassured her. "Just try to be careful." He paused. "Before I teleport us...what do my eyes look like?"

"They turn... red. But one eye has blue in the middle of it." Frisk mumbled, feeling like she's hurting his feelings again. Then she added. "They don't scare me. I honestly think they look cool. In a sense to.. How they were before. It's odd, but I feel like I'm protected more by you? That I'm safe."

He nodded and took her hand, trying to focus. It did worry him, but he knew that he would have to push those feelings aside to do what he was trying to do. He took a deep breath, and...

Nothing.

Frisk could see that he was struggling. Her arms wrapped around him in a loving way. Despite her heart pounding, it fluttered as her body pressed closely to his. Words of encouragement are needed.

Whispering into his 'ear', it gave him a tickling sensation, "You're my hero. You can do this."

"No...I can't." He held onto her. He had just teleported earlier, so why was he struggling? It seemed that his emotional distress was making his magic unstable. That thought scared him more.

"Try teleporting while I do this." Frisk moves her head closer to Sans, while he's in his anxiety. She deeply kisses Sans. All she was thinking about was loving and helping him. The touch of warmness she feels upon his mouth, she didn't stop despite the fact her heart was pounding against him. It was a fiery and passionate kiss that made Sans feel less afraid.

It caught him off guard at first, but that initial shock gave way too much adrenaline. He felt his power coursing throughout his body. A strange sense of strength that he had never felt before. It could only be described as a strong rush. When he opened his eyes again, they were in Snowdin.

Her lips parted away from his mouth. He can feel her breath against his face. There was a chill in the air, but she felt so warm due to the intensity to her feelings. She smiled in a tender way. "See. I knew you could do it."

"Thanks to you." Their faces stayed close as they smiled at each other, their breath visible in the cold air.

"Every time you need my help, I'll always be here." Frisk's eyes looked into his. Snowflakes kept falling onto her hair and eyelashes, giving the effect like she was sparkling due to its glimmer.

He looked at her in awe for a moment. "Yeah..."

Such an amazing woman. How could one be so beautiful? She’s really special to him.

"THERE YOU ARE, BROTHER!" A familiar voice shouted.

Sans froze, and didn't turn around immediately. Earlier he had been so panicked over Frisk that he didn't even think about Papyrus that much.

Papyrus.

He had killed him before. The overwhelming guilt was rushing back to his head. How can he face him? Despite Papyrus not remembering, it’s the fact that Sans remembers. The face that he killed Papyrus. How could he do such a thing?

"SANS! DID YOU CATCH THAT HUMAN?! I'M SO PROUD THAT YOU FINALLY DID SOMETHING!"

Sans didn't seem to care about that. There were already tears on his face. He turned around and went to his brother, embracing him in a hug.

Papyrus looked confused. "IS SOMETHING WRONG?"

Looking at such a heartfelt reunion, Frisk found herself crying too. She tried to stop, but it was hard to. It was a touching moment, even though Papyrus was clueless. She didn't speak up, not wanting to ruin the setting.

Sans shook his head. "I'm fine." He kept crying.

Papyrus looked over at Frisk, noticing that she was sobbing too. "HUMAN? WHY ARE YOU SAD TOO? WHAT HAPPENED?"

"I...." Frisk tends to cry seeing others cry. Her stomach growls again. "I'm just super hungry... Ahaha..." She sniffled. "Sans is probably too."

Papyrus patted Sans's back. "THERE'S NO REASON TO CRY! I WILL MAKE SOME DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI FOR YOU AND THE HUMAN!"

He tried to step away, but Sans didn't want to end the hug.

"YOU HAVE TO LET GO IF YOU WANT ME TO MAKE SOME!" Papyrus said.

Sans finally let go and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Papyrus hurried away to start making the spaghetti.

Sans felt a soft, warm hand gently held his. Frisk looked over at him. "Sans. Everything is alright now. We can laugh and have fun memories with him." She started to chuckle a little bit. "Perhaps we should help him cook it so he doesn't burn the house down?"

Sans still felt a strong remorse, but he didn't want to show it. "That sounds like a good idea."

Frisk felt his hand trembling in hers. "Sans. It will be alright." Her head leaned against his shoulder. "Papyrus is here. I'm here."

"I know." He tried to collect himself, but it was hard since he had just cried anyway. He kept using his free hand to wipe his eyes. (I've wept too much today over small things, and she has had to help me too many times. Am I being selfish?)

Disrupting his thoughts, Frisk tugged his hand a bit. "Shall we go follow him?" But she felt a tug back onto her hand where she was pulled into a hug again by Sans.

He stayed silent other than the occasional quiet sob. (I don't want to be like this. Throwing all my problems onto her. It feels like I still haven't changed as much as she thinks I have.)

Frisk didn't question or say anything. She just rubbed his back. At one point, she felt his face nuzzle onto her shoulder. His breath tickled a part of her neck. It made her get flustered with how intense his feelings are.

(I wish I could do more.) She held back any tears that was trying to form out of her eyes. Traces of her fingers rubbed the back of his skull, hoping it would bring him more comfort.

"I want to give you all the love I have for you." She didn't realize she said that out loud.

"You do?" That surprised Frisk with Sans’s voice. "I'm sorry for being such a mess. I know you probably have things bothering you too, don't you? But me acting like this keeps you from telling me."

"You have nothing to apologize for, alright?" Frisk continued to caress him. "I cried too, didn't I? As for me.... Like I said, I don't feel comfortable talking about it publicly."

She feels she would get judging stares. It was probably her anxiety making it worse thinking about it. Right now, she wants to love and care for Sans. Aside from hallucinations, she have to explain in some detail what happened. And that Chara….

The dread weighted on her shoulders a bit.
She pushed any hint of feeling away as she held onto Sans.

"I just feel like I'm not doing a good job here..." His crying was starting to calm down a little. "I want to be there for you, but my own emotions keep getting in the way."

"You're doing fine. You helped me out earlier, didn't you?" Frisk smiled at him in reassurance. "Like I said, you're my hero. You're doing more for me than you realize."

"I hope so." He smiled sadly. "I'm tired of this always happening."

"Time. It's all you need." Frisk comforted. "I will help you through it. I don't plan on going anywhere."

He backed away slowly, taking her hand again. "I think...I can actually start to believe that now."

Hearing that made Frisk happy. Finally, they ventured off to Papyrus's and Sans's house. They were greeted with Papyrus in a messy apron.

"HELLO THERE! I KNEW YOU WOULD SHOW UP!" He was mixing something in a pot on the stove. "THE SPAGHETTI MAY BE DONE SOON! OR IT MAY NOT...WE WILL SEE!"

"Do you need a helping hand?" Frisk smiled while asking. It definitely looks like he does since the pot had some red sauce going down the sides, causing the burner to stink up the place.

"I'M FINE, BUT THANKS FOR OFFERING!" Papyrus went back to mixing with a happy expression.

"Come on, Papyrus." Sans chuckled. "Even if you don't need any help, we want to. It’ll be fun."

Papyrus hummed as he thought about that. "WELL, ALRIGHT. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU WANT TO!" He felt happy to see Sans wasn’t acting lazy.

With the help of Frisk and Sans, they managed to save the spaghetti sauce?

How?

Well, while Sans distracted Papyrus with puns, Frisk kept taste testing the sauce, cringed and added better spices until it tasted right.

The water started to boil into the pot. Before Papyrus grabbed the spaghetti box to throw the whole thing in, with the box, she took it.

"I got it. I want to show you my secret technique that every spaghetti master should know." Frisk announced.

"A SPAGHETTI TRICK THAT I DIDN'T KNOW? BUT I AM THE SUPREME SPAGHETTI MASTER!" Papyrus gasped.

"The only way to know of this secret for the spaghetti master to know is through a human girl." Frisk tried not to snicker. "It is a revelation to the prophecy."

"SPAGHETTI IS PART OF THE PROPHECY?!" He asked in shock. "NYOOOO! THAT MEANS THAT I STILL HAVE THINGS TO LEARN!"

"CHILL out, bro." Sans winked. "After this, it will be imPASTAble for anyone to match your skills!"

Papyrus gave him the look.

"Now... Watch carefully..." Frisk takes a handful of spaghetti noodles.

With Papyrus being a beginner, she has an easy technique for him not to burn all the noodles.

SNAP

She parted the noodles in half and puts them into the pot. She repeated the process until she used the whole box.

"And that's how you do it." She did a curtsy.

"THANK YOU KIND HUMAN!" He looked into the pot. "THIS LOOKS GREAT LIKE ME!"

As Frisk lets Papyrus stir the noodles, she took a spoon to taste test the sauce. She blew into it a little bit to reduce the heat and took a small taste.

Her eyes widened. "It tastes great! Here, Sans, try it!"

With the same spoon, there was a little bit left on it. She offered it towards his mouth.

Sans tasted the sauce too. "It does! Nice job!"

"OF COURSE IT DOES! I AM AN EXPERT AFTER ALL!" Papyrus put the spoon to the side. "IT'S DONE!"

The spaghetti was still in the pot with water. It needed to be strained. Frisk is worried he would dump it all in the sink.

"Do you happen to have parmesan cheese in the fridge?" She asked, using it as a form of distraction.

"OF COURSE! ALLOW ME TO GET IT FOR YOU!" He went over and opened the refrigerator door, searching for the parmesan cheese. "SANS! WHERE DID ALL THESE BOTTLES OF KETCHUP COME FROM?!"

Sans looked over and saw that the refrigerator was entirely full of bottles of ketchup. He shrugged with a grin.

"YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO LIKES TO DRINK KETCHUP!" Papyrus continued. "I CAN'T SEE THE CHEESE WITH ALL THIS IN THE WAY!"

Frisk subtly snickered towards Sans as she strained the spaghetti noodles. She put it back into the pot with some olive oil, to prevent it from sticking together. She decided to leave the spaghetti presentation to Papyrus since he is great at that.

Backing away from the stove, she sees Papyrus heading back her way, clueless to what she just did to help.

Papyrus put the cheese on the counter for Frisk. "I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY. SANS FILLED THE FRIDGE WITH KETCHUP AT SOME POINT." He said it like he didn't already yell about it earlier.

He turned to the spaghetti and took out a plate and fork, handing it to Frisk. "YOU CAN GET YOUR PLATE FIRST SINCE YOU HELPED FULFILL THE GREAT SPAGHETTI PROPHECY!"

"Why, thank you." Frisk giggled. She served herself a big portion of it. She was really hungry to it. Taking the parmesan cheese with her, she went to go sit down at the table.

Sans got his next, and then Papyrus. Papyrus followed him to go sit down. Sans sat down next to Frisk. There was silence for a minute as they were all occupied by their food.

"WHO KNEW THAT SNAPPING THE NOODLES AND NOT COOKING THE BOX COULD MAKE SUCH A HUGE DIFFERENCE?!" Papyrus exclaimed.

Frisk muffled her chuckle as she took another delicious bite. "This tastes fantastic, Papyrus. Sans has told me a lot about you."

Knowing full well that they once knew each other in another timeline. Yet, for some reason, starting over felt ok with Frisk. This way seems lovelier. Probably because she's with Sans now.

"HE HAS?" Papyrus looked at Sans. "BUT I THOUGHT YOU TWO JUST MET! DO YOU TELL EVERY HUMAN ABOUT ME?"

"Uhh...about that," Sans started nervously. "We didn't just meet. We're actually together."

"I KNOW THAT, SILLY! YOU'RE SITTING RIGHT BESIDE EACH OTHER!"

"No." Sans stifled a laugh. "Together as in...she's my girlfriend."

"GIRLFRIEND?" He looked at the two back and forth. "BUT HOW CAN I CAPTURE HER IF SHE'S YOUR GIRLFRIEND?"

"You don't," Sans responded. "You should become her friend instead!"

Papyrus thought about that. "THAT SOUNDS EVEN BETTER THAN CAPTURING HER! WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA! HUMAN, ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BEING FRIENDS WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS?"

Frisk couldn't stop giggling at this point. "Why, yes, Papyrus! I'd love to be friends! I heard you like puzzles?"

"I AM THE BEST AT PUZZLES!" He said excitedly. "DO YOU ALSO LIKE THEM?"

"Yes, I find them quite fun!" Frisk chimed.

"YOU'RE PERFECT FOR BEING MY FRIEND THEN! I CAN GIVE YOU ALL THE PUZZLES YOU WANT!" He yelled.

"I can't wait to solve them!" Frisk wiped her mouth with a napkin. That meal tasted amazing.

Sans kept listening to the conversation as he ate the spaghetti, happy that things felt normal again. For the moment he was able to forget about what he had done.

Sometime later on, it was getting late. The topic about Frisk living with them is going to come up. She looks at Sans to mention it as she was helping clean the dishes.

Sans looked over his shoulder at Papyrus. "Hey, Pap. Frisk
was wondering if she could stay here?"

"SAY NO MORE! SHE CAN STAY!" Papyrus leaned down to give them both a hug, and ended up lifting them both up due to him being so tall. He sat them both down and went back to cleaning.

As she finished doing her cleaning by drying the last plate and putting it away into the cabinet, she sat down with Sans on the couch. Papyrus was still organizing stuff in his own special way.

Frisk looked at Sans with a happy expression. "That was a lot of fun."

"Definitely." Sans thought about the fact that this could really be their lives now. Safe. Together. There would inevitably be hard times, but was a truly happy outcome possible after all?

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I love spending time with you like this."

Frisk snuggled up against him and sighed happily. "I do too. Um..." She started to blush. "Where will I be sleeping tonight? I don't exactly have pajamas either." She laughed nervously. "I'll have to go clothes shopping tomorrow."

"I didn't think of that," he said nervously. "We don't have a guest room. I don't mind sleeping on the couch though. You should have my bed."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm fine with the couch-" But Frisk was stopped with Sans putting his finger onto her lips as a shhh motion.

Sans gave her a reassuring smile. "I really want you to sleep on the bed."

Sans's finger was still there so Frisk gave him a smooch on it and smiled. "Alright.”

He moved his hand away, with a blush. "Would you like something warm to wear?” He knew that humans were sensitive to temperature, and so it worried him a little. He didn't think she would be cold inside. At least, she didn't act like she was. He couldn't really tell since he wasn't as sensitive to it.

"I'm not cold since I'm cuddling you." Frisk replied. "But if you have warm pants, then that does help me sleep. I'll be cold without them."

"I will find you some." He got up and returned a few minutes later with a long pair of fuzzy pajama pants. "This seems warm enough."

Frisk nodded with a smile. As Sans came back with the pants, she had taken them. Papyrus yelled good night to both of them and ran upstairs. They both chuckled. Frisk had changed in the bathroom. For some reason, she changed really quickly. It was odd of her to feel anxious when Sans was right out the bathroom.

As Frisk went out of the bathroom, Sans stared at her with a blush. Frisk also stared at Sans for he, too, was in pajamas.

Sans scratched his cheek nervously. "You look really cute."

“You do too.” Frisk blushed deeper.

There was a flustered silence. Both of them were fidgeting.

"Well, I'll be going to sleep now." Frisk said.

"Yeah, me too. Goodnight." There was an awkward pause as they both waited for something. "I love you."

"I love you too." Frisk smiled as she felt Sans giving her a good night kiss. She blushed. "I'll be expecting a good morning kiss too."

"Don't worry. You can have all the kisses you want," he said with a smile.

“You better. Good night!” Frisk made her way upstairs. Some of the steps creaked as she put her foot onto it. Through the short hallway, she goes into Sans's room. She never been inside of it before. She looked around. Socks everywhere. Bed unmade.

(I'll have to comment about the tomorrow.) She slightly giggled to herself.

Turning off the lights, she climbed into bed. Some time passed. She felt comfortable in Sans's bed. As she was drifting off to sleep, anxious thoughts clouded her mind.

Chapter Text

You're alone.

No one's here to protect you.

Her breathing started to grow heavy. She was squeezing her eyes shut. Hoping it would go away.

A hallucination started to happen.

(It's not real, Frisk.)

"Who says..." An eerie voice spoke in the darkness.

(It isn't! You're imagining things!)

"I'm not..."

Frisk opened her eyes out of fear and curiosity. There he was. Chara.

She started to whimper. She couldn't speak.

"Real?? You're silly to think I really erased myself?" Chara chuckled. His hands started to motion a knife towards her body. As if he was caressing her whole body with it. Frisk's heart rate went extremely high.

"G-go away..." Frisk whimpered. "S-Sans will..."

Chara's hallucination face twisted and started to draw near her face. "I told you, you are MINE!"

Frisk's mind became so tortured. It was like she was feeling these things. She was frightened. Beyond terrified that she started to scream and cry loudly. "STOP!! NO! DON'T DO IT AGAIN!"

She was rocking back and forth at this rate.

(Alone... I'm alone...) She held her head as she cried loudly.

Sans was woken up by her screaming, and he fell off the couch with a loud thump. "Ugh...Frisk!" He got up and ran to his room, pulling the door open.

Frisk wasn't aware of Sans's presence. Her panic attack had blacked out everything around her. All she saw was Chara. Doing those awful things to her. Over and over again.

She was shaking her head as she held it tightly. Her tears wouldn't stop coming out.

"Hey, Frisk!" He went over to her and sat down on the bed beside her, putting his arms around her. "It's me, Sans. I'm here."

Frisk wasn't respondent. She kept crying and struggling. "Help...me.... I want to die. I don't want to go through it again. Go away, Chara! Please, stop it! Just kill me!"

"Frisk!" He kept trying to get her to snap out of it. "It's all over now! Chara isn't here! Nobody is going to hurt you!" He held her tightly despite her struggling.

Frisk gasped. Feeling Sans's embrace. The warmth. Everything started to fade away from her. Tears kept pouring from her eyes. "S-Sans...?"

Her hands gripped against the back of his shirt. She was trembling and crying. "I'm sorry... I...."

"It's alright. You're safe." He was just glad that she was back with it. He definitely knew what had happened, and knew that she needed reassurance.

"I-I didn't wake Papyrus, did I?" Frisk trembled as she sobbed. "I... need to tell you something...I'm scared..."

"He's sound asleep still. Don't worry about it," Sans said. "Go ahead and tell me. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

It took a few or more minutes for Frisk to just say it out loud.
Perhaps, even longer, but Sans was patiently waiting with concern in his eyes. He pet her head in comfort.

"When you saw... Chara kiss me... that wasn't the first time he's done it." She started to tremble. She's scared of what Sans will think of her. "After every time he wrote his name on me... he.... had his way with me..." She felt like puking thinking about it.

Sans’s eyes widened. His teeth clenched, but he remained quiet.

"I... Don't even know if I was pregnant... I just want to die until you came and saved me. Yet...." She started to cry again. "I'm so disgusting. I know it wasn't the baby's fault if I was even carrying a child. I didn't know. I either wanted to die or reset..." She couldn't look at Sans. "Even though it's reversed in time, like it didn't even happen... It feels real. I feel filthy, Sans!"

"Chara…. That dirty friggin-” Sans felt a burning hatred for Chara. He hated him before of course, but now he felt even stronger about it.

(He deserved what he got. He deserved to stop existing.)

"None of that was your fault!" Sans told Frisk. "It was that nauseating Chara! You didn't deserve to go through that... None of it!”

He felt more anger that she had to go through all of that. If only he didn’t let Chara take her. If only he had realized sooner. It was no wonder Frisk held onto Sans when he took her from Chara. This poor girl suffered so much. Yet, he regrets pushing her away the first time when she really needed him.

"You'd...still want to be with me despite that?" Frisk's voice trembled a bit. She continued looking away from him. Tear droplets kept falling onto the bed sheets. "I'm afraid you wouldn't look at me the same way anymore..."

"I don't see you any differently. I love you for who you are, and nothing else." He gently touched the side of her face to get her to look at him. "I fell in love with the person inside of that body. Not the body itself."

Her eyes looked glossy as she looked at him. Her heart felt touched but also ached. Her hand placed on top of his. "I'm afraid... what if... I push you away in the future? I don't ever want to hurt you. I want to be near you. I just love you so much that I can't even describe it."

The tears wouldn't stop coming out. Every time she spoke a word, more came out aggressively.

"If you push me away I will understand." He made himself even closer to her. "I would be willing to be patient with you."

"I want you to be always near me, but I'm afraid to be bothersome." Frisk weeped. "Do you.... recall the time I was in the shower? I... hallucinated too. It seems to happen when I'm alone. I'm scared of being unaccompanied. I know it sounds silly since you're downstairs... I don't want to be this way and give you space at times..."

"I don't want space," he said. "I'm scared too. Not as bad as you, but don't think that I don't want to be with you all the time. Frisk...don't worry so much about me. Let me help you."

"I won't be annoying to you?" She asked. "I don't want to bring you down more because I'm like this when you have so much you already think about..."

"You've been helping me with my problems, not bringing me down." He smiled. "You being around me is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I will never find you annoying."

Frisk sniffled. She felt tired and was starting to calm down from the panic attack. She snuggled up against him. "Thank you... I will always be there for you too. Continue holding me like this even when I push you away. I'll realize it's you and not anyone else."

"No problem there," he said. "I will always be there to hold you when you're scared. I will let you feel my embrace to let you feel my love."

"Sans..." She gripped onto his shirt. She looked up at him. "Can...you... um..."

She stopped, hesitating to say it.

"Can I what?" He asked.

Frisk felt anxious again, not wanting to feel too needy. "Never mind... It's fine. You should probably go back to bed and-"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me," he said softly.

"That's the thing... I don't want you to go anywhere..." Frisk looked away and blushed sadly.

"Then...I won't. I will stay right here with you." He started to stroke her hair. "I want to stay with you anyway."

There was that fluttery feeling she felt in her heart. The only feeling that she feels only when she's with Sans. The craving for his comforting warmth.

All of her fears and worries seem to subside whenever he's around her. It's like being near him is her saving grace.

With Sans stroking her hair, it was making her eyelids heavy. It made her feel peaceful. "Thank you, for not leaving me... I'll always need you."

"And I'll always need you." He noticed that she was starting to fall asleep, so he kept doing it.

"You're the....best boyfriend...." Were the last words she mumbled before she fallen asleep. Her breathing was soft and calm. Sans could feel her body relax onto him.

Sans slowly laid back, making sure Frisk eased onto the bed in a comfortable way too since his arms were still around her. Luckily, she didn't wake up. Sans drifted off to sleep beside her.

Outside of the house, snowflakes continued to fall onto the ground and glisten with the artificial light. The loud noises of Snowdin fell quiet as all the monsters were peacefully asleep in their beds.

...

"HUMAN!"

There was the sound of loud footsteps running through the house. "SANS?"

Sans's eyes started to open. He and Frisk were still close from the night before. Not wanting to get up, he turned his face towards hers.

The door slammed open.

"GOOD MORNI-" Papyrus started. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

That loud, booming voice made Frisk's eyes jolt opened.

(Papyrus!)

She tried to move, but she felt Sans pulling her closer to a point their noses were touching. A flustered whisper came from her mouth. "S-Sans... Your brother..."

"Good morning kiss first." He pressed his face against hers and then sat up, his face getting blue. Frisk's face turned the reddest its ever been. Pulling the blankets over her head, trying to hide from the embarrassment that Papyrus innocently walked in like this.

"SANS? YOU'RE TURNING BLUE!" Papyrus pointed out.

(Why am I embarrassed? Papyrus doesn't know anything about couples there shouldn't be any weird comments!) That is logical, yet Frisk doesn't budge from underneath the blankets anyway.

Sometimes brains can stop functioning in moments like this.

Papyrus looked at Frisk. "IS SHE OK?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Sans chuckled. "It's a human thing."

"OH." He seemed to accept that answer. "WE HAVE LEFTOVER SPAGHETTI FOR BREAKFAST WHEN YOU'RE READY!"

Frisk said something underneath the covers, but it was hard to hear her since her face is buried in the pillow.

"I can't hear you under there." Sans tilted his head slightly.

"(muffle voice) ....waffles." Was all Sans could make out.

"Waffles?" Sans repeated. "Do you want waffles?"

The blankets moved underneath like she was nodding.

Sans looked over at Papyrus. "I guess she wants waffles today."

"BUT WHY NOT SPAGHETTI?" Papyrus asked.

"Humans need more than spaghetti to stay healthy. Sorry bro." Sans had to stifle his laughter.

The sound of Papyrus's stomped feet had parted ways away from them. Assuming he went off to make waffles. Frisk didn't move from where she was.

"It wasn't really that bad, was it?" Sans chuckled. "Whoops."

Frisk clung the blankets closer to her. "I'm not coming out."

"Oh? Heh. No can do. I want to see you!" He pulled on the blankets gently.

"You'll have to try harder than that to see me!" Frisk teased, but didn't budge.

Sans tried to pull the blankets away.

She pulled them back, squirming a bit underneath the blankets to get cozy in the bed.

Her pulling them back made him pull again. "I'm gonna get you!" He said in a teasing voice.

"Nope!" She laughed as she pulled again. A couple's tug a war was happening. Frisk was very determined not to lose, while Sans kept persisting.

It went back and forth like this for a good minute until Sans pulled on the blanket a little too hard. It escaped Frisk's grip, and the force of the pull caused both of them to start rolling towards the edge of the bed. There was a loud thud as the two of them fell onto the ground on top of the blankets.

Messy hair blocked Frisk's vision a bit. Trying to blow it out of her face was failing her. Just lying there, she started to laugh a bit more. There was a blanket cushioning between them as Frisk was slightly on Sans.

"You got me, but still can't see me." She giggled. The blankets were rolled around her enough like she was slightly in a cocoon.

He laughed harder at that. "Here, let me help you." He got off of the blankets and started to help her get unwrapped. Eventually, he could see her face.

"There you are!" He said before continuing. “I missed your beautiful face.”

Frisk didn't move an inch. She stayed laying there. Her eyes wandered to look into his. She didn't want to move, but just to gaze at him with a rosy hue on her cheeks.

Was she too lazy to also get up? Probably. But she just wanted to spend this moment with him. The man that she really loves.

Sans stared into her eyes too. Somehow, he seemed to understand her feeling. Because he felt it too. The silence wasn't uncomfortable or awkward. It was perfect.

He blinked as he went back to his senses. "I can't think straight when you look at me like that." He blushed.

Also blushing, she replied. "Well, technically, you started it by kissing me. You make me love sick."

He smiled at that. "I'm glad I did. Your reaction was adorable." He chuckled.

"Well…You kept your promise with a good morning kiss." Frisk blushed. "I was just embarrassed Papyrus barged in like that. I was caught off guard."

"Yeah. I know," he said. "I told you that you could have all the kisses you wanted. I meant it."

By him saying that, she put on a big smile. They both lazily laid a bit. Being near each other felt so warm.

"Sans, um..." Frisk knew she had to get dressed, but not without cleaning herself first. "I need to take a shower."

(I never want to get stinky around him. Plus, I don't recall when I showered last in my younger body.)

Sans remembered what had happened the night before. How Frisk told him her fear of being alone. "Do you want me to come? I won't look or anything." His soul started to thump a little bit for asking that. He hopes he doesn’t sound weird.

Frisk sadly nodded with a blush. "Sorry I'm like this. Even though I actually feel fine now... but being alone....I don't know if it'll happen again."

"Don't worry about it." He stood up and offered her his hand. "Remember? I want to be with you."

With the help of Sans's hand. She stood up with him. As Papyrus was making waffles, they managed to do a quick short shopping for extra clothes for Frisk.

Making it back home, Papyrus was still making waffles. Looks like he'll need some help after Frisk showers. The two of them made their way to the bathroom.

Frisk stood there, looking at the ground. "Thanks for this. I'm sorry if this is awkward."

She already felt weird, but also safe that Sans is there. As long as he keeps a conversation with her, it will make her feel at ease.

"I'll get over it. Heh." He felt extremely awkward too, but he was willing to stay for her. His soul wouldn’t stop pounding, but he had himself composed. "Just do what you need to do, and don't worry too much."

The plan was for Frisk to shower first. When she gets out, she will go help Papyrus with waffles as Sans gets to shower as well. That way, she won't be alone when she gets out. But Sans will be making sure at first she won't be alone.

As Frisk turned on the shower water, it takes some time to get hot. That indicates that she's ready so Sans turns around for her.

She gets into the shower, with the curtain closed. "You're still here?" She asked for some reassurance. It was a dumb question to ask, but her anxiety made it hard.

"I'm here," he reassured her. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Alright." Frisk had a hard time coming up with a topic to talk about. She wasn't anxious because she was scared. The fact that Sans was right there, made her heart pound. Because of that, she was kind of rushed shampooing a little bit due to her being flustered. It isn't because she doesn't trust him. She does trust him A LOT. But her heart was going a little crazy a bit.

As for Sans... He was feeling flustered too. He kept playing with his clothes to have something to do. His soul feels like bursting. Was it the shower’s steam or his nerves making him hot? Probably both. (I should help her by talking.)

"So...where did the waffles thing come from?" He asked.

What a weird and random question.

"I like waffles." Frisk stuttered in reply with a nervous laugh.

An obvious answer.

Both of them are an awkward mess.

Sans would hear a splatter of water on the shower's floor at some points due to her getting the shampoo out of her hair.

"I like waffles too." He replied with a nervous voice.

More awkward silence. But at least Frisk wasn't having a panic attack.

"Have you ever had waffles with ketchup?" He asked another question.

"No. I haven't." Frisk couldn't shake off the feeling her heart was giving her. Usually, she would laugh but she felt too many butterflies at this moment.

(I feel like I'm gonna diiiiieeee!!)

Sans's SOUL also felt... Warm. And fluttering. Both at the same time. He kept internally freaking out.

"Ketchup is good on anything." He laughed nervously.

"I'll have to try it today." Frisk stammered.

A sound of squeaking is heard. The water had stopped running. The curtain opened. She realized that the towel was in front of Sans. Same with her clothes.

Due to this bathroom's setup, it was hard to have it near her.

"Can you... Hand me that towel?" She asked in a flustered manner.

Sans picked up the towel and closed his eyes. He turned around and slowly held the towel out. "H-here." He stuttered awkwardly and kept his eyes squeezed shut. This was very nerve wrecking.

Frisk took the towel from him. His face was the bluest she's ever seen it. She nearly dropped her towel due to her nervousness. "Thank y-you."

He nodded and turned back around, feeling nervous still. (She's almost done,) he told himself. (Then we can go back to the kitchen and eat waffles. You can do this Sans. You can do this.)

Frisk dries herself off the best she could. Noticing that Sans has his eyes closed still, she went to grab her clothes while holding the towel against her.

Clumsily, she almost slipped on the wet ground, but grabbed the side of Sans's arm. "K-keep your eyes closed! I was just trying to get my outfit!"

The embarrassment was too much. She was trying to make it easier and less awkward but she made things worse for not only for herself, but for Sans too.

"Are you ok?" He asked despite being extremely flustered. His soul’s pounding at a rapid rate. He felt like it was going to burst.

"Yes." Frisk's grip let go of Sans's arm. Quickly, she put on her clothes while standing on top of a towel so she doesn't slip again.

"I-I am going to help Papyrus! Go ahead and shower!" Frisk ran out in a flustered state, leaving Sans with his thoughts.

Sans went over to lock the bathroom door after she ran out. (Geez. She almost killed me.) He thought as he clutched a part of his throbbing chest. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

Same thoughts also went into Frisk's mind. Her butter fingers kept dropping the waffles to go into the toaster. She kept messing everything up.

"Sorry, Papyrus." Frisk's face hasn't stopped turning red ever since she sprinted out of the bathroom. Instead of helping Papyrus, she doesn't seem to be making a difference.

"IT IS ALRIGHT! I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN MAKE AN AMAZING WAFFLE IF YOU TRY HARD ENOUGH!" He posed and handed her another waffle to try to put into the toaster.

Successfully, she managed to put the waffle in the toaster. Only because she dropped it just right. She set the timer to the most accurate setting.

The process repeated as each waffle was done. Waiting on the last waffle, Frisk went to go sit down, but bumped into Sans without looking where she was going due to her being absent minded.

The two of them didn't say a word at first. She noticed Sans's face was still blue and somewhat sweating.

"Uhh..." His brain seemed to stop functioning. "I will just sit down...right here." He awkwardly pointed to a chair.

"I'll... just stand here then." Frisk couldn't look at him. "Standing is...great stuff."

"Or you could...sit down there instead?" He asked. "I can stand here...or! There are actually more chairs here...so...I will sit in another chair."

"No, go ahead and sit." Frisk stammered. It feels hot in the room due to her flustered state.

"Alright..." He sat down and looked to the side. He felt a little irritated with being too flustered to act right. He wanted to talk to her like usual, but they were both too embarrassed.

DING!

The toaster made a sound indicating that it was down.

"Oh! The waffle!! I'll go get it!" Frisk went to run to the kitchen.
As she was passing the chair Sans is in, her legs decided to stop working due to her mushy head brain.

"Ah!" She started to fall.

Without hesitation, Sans caught her as she was falling. He ended up pulling her back protectively, and she ended up on his lap. When he realized what he did his face got even bluer. "You should really be more careful..."

"S-sorry." Frisk didn't move off of Sans. In fact, she felt quite comfortable, yet her heart rate was up extremely high. With her face being red, she looked at his blue complexion. "Earlier your face was bluer than this."

Saying that made her think, (WHY DID I JUST SAY THAT?! AHHHH!!!)

"It was? I guess it makes sense..." Despite his nerves, he pulled her closer to him. He craved that closeness even if it made his soul flutter. "I'm sorry, but...I want to be close to you."

Frisk's heart felt like it was doing flips. She felt the same way. Her desire to feel his warmth, her arms wrapped around Sans. Her feelings felt like they were getting stronger. "Don't apologize. I want to be as close as I can to you too."

His arms were gentle, almost like he was cradling her. Although her heart was pounding, she enjoyed the feeling.

Her gentle touch soothed his nerves. Sans rested his head on her shoulder with a smile. He started to sway slowly. "Good."

She couldn't help but kiss the top of his head. "I'm the one who's sorry though."

"You shouldn't be," he replied. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"But the shower- um!" Frisk felt her face hot. "I...you... Uncomfortable?"

Her words started not to make sense, but Sans could tell what she was trying to say.

"Uh… Heh. You can't help it. I'm willing to do what I have to do in order to make you happy." He still didn't back away. He was enjoying her being so close. “It’s fine even if I feel my soul pounding. I swear to make you feel safe.”

"You don't have to do that anymore." Frisk stammered.

She doesn't know if her heart can take the intensity of it again. She had forgotten about the hallucinations she'd get for that moment. It was helpful with him being there. For some weird reason, she's conflicted.

"I don't?" He asked. "But what if you have another panic attack?"

(Neither one of us are very comfortable with these things yet since we recently got together. Sometime in the future though...won't we have to get used to those sorts of things?)

What?

Sans brushed the thoughts aside. (That's thinking too far ahead.)

"Well, um..." Frisk thought hard. She got nothing to say and sighed. "You're right. I mean, I don't mind you in there but I feel like I'm going to turn into a tomato and melt into ketchup." She laughed nervously.

"For some reason, my heart raced a lot." She clutched her one hand against her chest.

"Me too." He chuckled nervously. "Maybe we will get used to it after a while."

(I hope I get to the point where I don't feel afraid anymore....) She thought.

Frisk slightly hugged near Sans's head. Sans whispered under his breath. "I don't mind this feeling with you..."

"THE WAFFLES HAVE BEEN DONE FOR A WHILE NOW! ARE YOU TWO GOING TO EAT THEM?"

Frisk looked over at Papyrus. "Oh, I'm sorry, Papyrus! I kind of got stuck on Sans." She giggled, with a little blush.

"STUCK ON HIM? THAT'S STRANGE!" Papyrus continued.

Sans lifted his head up from her shoulder finally. "I guess we should go eat."

"But I am stuck, Sans." Frisk batted her eyes towards him. "I guess I need some help. Sans's laziness is rubbing off on me!"

"Oh, uh..." Sans stood up in an awkward manner and lifted her up from his lap. He had her stand across from him.

"SANS, DID YOU TURN THE HUMAN INTO A LAZY BONES?!" Papyrus yelled.

"Heh. Maybe."

"SANS!"

Frisk tried not to laugh. She wanted to continue with this. "I don't think I can walk there. Oh no...."

She snickered. She just wanted to be held more by him.

"Your legs work!" Then he noticed the look on her face. "...but I can carry you." He lifted her up and tried to hide his smile, but he didn't do too well.

Frisk rubbed her cheek against his. Her smile widened too as they all headed to finally eat some cold waffles. With Papyrus's complaining about Frisk becoming 'lazy' now.

Chapter Text

It's been four months. Ralsei and Kris have been living together the whole time. One morning, Ralsei woke up and Kris wasn't in the room. He yawned and got off of the bed, grabbing his usual outfit and going to get changed before going to the living room.

He entered the living room, but still didn't see her. "Kris?"

Kris was in another room trying on different outfits.

(Hmm. Not this one. I don't like it.) Kris grimaced at the sight of her demeanor. As she was getting changed into another form of attire of the new batch of clothing she just bought.

Ralsei went on to check the kitchen for her as he said her name. (This isn't a very big house...I should be able to hear her.)

He tried to listen, and heard a bit of noise coming from a room. He went over and knocked on the door.

"Oh, is that you, dear?" Kris asked.

“Mhm!” He let out a quiet sigh of relief. “I didn’t see you at first. I just wondered where you were.”

"Come in, you don't need to knock. I'm just getting changed, is all." Kris commented like it was nothing. But to Ralsei....

It was not nothing. He wasn't used to that, and definitely wasn't as comfortable as Kris was yet.

He started to get a little nervous. "Are you sure? I can wait..."

"Don't be silly, it's fine." Kris reassured. She found it very cute that Ralsei's bashful still around her.

Ralsei turned the door knob and stepped into the room. He felt flustered looking at her though so he mainly looked at the floor. Even though they were married, he still had his shy side. "Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Yeah, I did." Kris beamed as she was putting her foot into this dress. "Right now, I'm trying to find a style that suits my age."

She noticed Ralsei looking to the ground. She couldn't help but smirk at him. "You're cute."

Ralsei felt a warmth in his cheeks. "You are too!"

Kris was struggling to zip up a long sleeved dress. Her whole back was bare.

"Can you help me zip this up?" Kris asked.

Ralsei looked up to see what she needed help with. "Oh, sure thing!" He went over to her, feeling even more heat spread across his face.

He put a paw gently on her shoulder to stay steady and she could feel it shaking slightly due to him being so nervous. Her shoulder felt smooth. It made his soul beat faster. (I can do this! We're married! Plus, it's just her back. No big deal.)

He pulled the zipper up and took a step back, feeling proud of himself for not freaking out. "There you go!"

Kris turned around with a smile. "Does it suit me?"

Over the span of months, Kris's hair had gotten a little longer. The dress was a navy blue. Slightly matching her hair color.

"Or does it blend in too much?"

"I love it!" He exclaimed. "You look great!" He stared at her a little, silently complimenting her more in his head.

"Thanks!" Kris felt happy with his reaction. "Say, dear, I know a couple of months... this body is finally turning 18, I was thinking something."

Ralsei and her doesn't have too much of an age gap. Ralsei's public image turns 18 the next month.

Technically, the two of them are turning 25.

"What is it?" He asked. He did have an idea, but he wanted to be sure she was thinking the same thing. (Is it finally going to happen?) They had both been awaiting the time when they could get publically married.

"I know we're going to get married as soon as I physically turn that age, but as I'm waiting, I feel like sometimes... We aren't actually married." Kris draws closer to Ralsei and plays with his one ear. "I want to try to have a baby tonight."

Ralsei's face turned extremely red. "Tonight?" That's not was he was thinking of at all. It felt way too soon to him. But at the same time, there was a part of him that would actually be ok with that...

"Yes." Kris was loving his reaction. "Think of it. If I were to get pregnant, no one would know on the wedding day. I just want to love you like a wife should."

"B-but..." He started to stutter awkwardly. He wasn't sure what to say in that situation.

"I've been ready, but I can't hide it anymore." Kris's voice was soothing but also teasing. She touches his red cheek. His face looked like he was going to explode.

(Ok, I should stop. Even though he's being so adorable right now.)

"It's alright. I was kidd-"

"Ok." He looked away. He was so busy thinking that he didn't hear the last part she said. "Let’s do it. I'm really nervous, but...I want a baby too. I-if you want to try tonight then that's fine with me."

"What?" Kris's face started to turn red.

Surely, she wasn't expecting that response. Not from sweet, shy Ralsei. Her heart started to beat fast.

"Are you sure? You said you're n-nervous." She stuttered. "I don't want to push you."

Even though she was kidding, she is torn what to do now...

"I don't think I will ever stop being nervous," He admitted. "But that shouldn't stop us. If we wait for me then it might never happen."

He felt strongly torn too. He didn't want to say something like that and then chicken out at the last minute. He did want that, but his bashfulness was getting the best of him. He was still unable to look at Kris's face, so he wasn't even aware that it was red.

It might not ever happen.

Those words bothered Kris a bit. What if he's like this still by the time they actually planned for it?

What if it's just her wanting this?

She never wanted to ever pressure Ralsei into anything. Now, she feels a bit sad.

"It's alright." Not knowing all of his thoughts, she dejectedly spoke up. "If you don't ever want to, we won't. I don't ever want to force you to do things with me. I'm sorry that lately I make you afraid. I need to also consider your feelings."

"No, Kris! That's not what I meant!" He took her hand in his. "I really want to. I don't want to let my nervousness get in the way."

"Really? Are you certain?" Kris looked away with a subtle blush.

"I am," He said. "Believe me. This is something I really want too."

Kris couldn't even respond. It's been awhile since she last blushed like this. The color of her cheeks had an attractive rosiness to it.

"Kris?" Ralsei laughed. "I've never seen you blush this much." His own face was still red, but they were both used to him acting that way. It was cute to him that Kris got flustered like that too.

"I was actually kidding earlier. I wanted to tease you because you're adorable with your reactions." She admitted. Then her face flushed into a deeper rose shade. "But now, I don't think I am.”

"You were?" His shoulders raised slightly. "Oh...I didn't realize. But I still want to try if you do."

"Sorry, I was... B-but I really want to try more than ever." That was making her blush worse. What a strange thing. She wanted to tease Ralsei, and yet, it backfired on her like this. It's been awhile since her shy side came out like this.

He nodded with a smile. "I do too. And you don't need to apologize."

Kris softly goes to hug Ralsei. He can even feel her heart beating hard as she held him close against her.

Ralsei returned the hug. "Are you...ok?" His fur was soft against Kris's face.

"No, my feelings are going haywire." Kris snuggled her face against his fur.

"Mine are too," He said.

He thought about what he had said earlier.

He always had thinks that he left unsaid. Things he wanted to tell Kris. He had grown stronger and less timid over the years, but he still had those things he never said out loud.

(I don't want to do that anymore. I want to let her know what goes through my mind!)

"Kris...I always think things about you that I've never told you in the moment. Good things. Since we're married you must know that I love you and think very highly of you, but...I don't know if you know just how much I really love you. W-what I really think about when we're together."

(I can do this...)

Ralsei took a deep breath. "I think that you're really beautiful, and that you're the most amazing person I've ever met. Whenever I see you for the first time in the mornings, even after all these years, I still find it hard to believe that I managed to find someone like you. Or rather, you found me I guess."

Kris felt super touched. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Ralsei..."

Her blush worsened as she smiled and sniffled. "You don't know how much I needed to hear that."

They have been together for seven years. And four months of marriage. Kris had grew more and more affectionate over the years. Sure, Ralsei had has his moments too. Yet she always craved more from him. She just didn't say it. His movements and reactions are always adorable. She loves that about him.

"I love you too, sweetie." She sniffled happily.

He didn't realize how much keeping his feelings to himself would affect her. "Did I upset you by being so quiet about things?"

"Yeah..." She looked down in a guilty way. "Sometimes, I feel convicted that I'm too much for you. I know I get very affectionate and open at times. I know you're shy, but sometimes I feel like I'm pushing boundaries. I get scared of losing you."

"Aw, Kris...you don't have to worry about losing me," He said. "I love your personality. Sure, I'm shy. But that doesn't mean I don't like you being loving."

"I just thought since you don't do much affection for me, I felt like I was overdoing it. Maybe I'm just weird and needy." Kris sighed. "I know you don't mind it, I'm glad, but... Agh. I don't know how to explain it."

Being teasing.
Touchy.
Always making the first move at times.
Even bringing up trying for a baby too, she feels like she's being too much.
Her craving desire scare her sometimes that she's frightened Ralsei will eventually push her away.

He shook his head. "I actually love it." He started to blush again. "I want to be more affectionate to you, but I always get nervous about making the first move. I know that you won't judge me. It's just something that makes me feel anxious. It's not that I don't want to be like that for you."

"Are you.... Going to be ok for later?" Kris's face felt hotter. "I-I won't make the first move for that, just so you know. I just want it to happen naturally I guess. I don't want to do it since... umm... yeah..." She paused and then awkwardly added. "If you can't, we can always try another day!"

"I think I will be fine," He said. "I have to get over it eventually. If I get too nervous later I will just tell you, ok?" He looked to the side with a sad smile.

"Alright." She quietly said and just looked at her feet.

(Just be patient... He'll get there.)

Yet this nagging anxiety that attacks her very mind bothers her.

That terrible voice in her head that torments her.

Don't do anything.

Just stand there.

You're too much.

Let him go to you.

No, just kiss him!

No, don't! He needs to go to you!

You can't force things on him, Kris!

The only one who wants to try is YOU.

Battling her inner thoughts, she's good at hiding it. Kris puts on a fake smile. "I'll get started on breakfast."

"Would you like some help?" He asked. "It would be fun to do it together!"

"Sure, I'll have to use the restroom first. I'll meet you in the kitchen." Kris walked away as a way to get her to cool off her emotions.

He started to walk to the kitchen after she walked away. (I should try to be more open with her from now on. I need to push my fear aside and be there for her.) The thought made him nervous, but also a little excited.

While Kris was in the bathroom, she stared at her mixed emotions face.

There were a little bit of tears. Ralsei's words were... amazing. His words were always amazing.

Yet she was frustrated to bring up children.

(Ralsei's still so innocent. Too innocent. I feel like a dang pervert!) She felt like being with him was wrong at this rate.

(Maybe, he would be better off with someone slower paced.)

Yet that hurt her heart a lot. She would never give up Ralsei.

Unless...

He'd leave her?

That thought scares her.

(I'm not going to bring it up anymore.) Kris fought back any tears. (I need to be more patient.)

Yet she has urges to love him and shower him with a lot of kisses.

Nope.

Got to hold back.

(It'll be ok.) She inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm herself down. (I'm ok. We're ok. Just go out like nothing happened. I'm just being hard on myself.)

It's.

Alright.

(If I tell him this stuff, he'll feel guilty.)

Right?

(Even with the baby suggestion he-)

Just stop.

She stopped thinking about it immediately as she stepped out of the bathroom to head to Ralsei.

Ralsei heard her footsteps and turned to look. (Ok, I can do this! I can make her feel loved and happy. I just need to be more confident.)

He walked towards her and grabbed both of her hands. "Did you have something in mind that you wanted to eat this morning?"

(That wasn't the flirtiest...but I'll work on it!)

Kris smiled, squeezing his fluffy paws in response. "I'm in the mood for some french toast. How about yourself?"

"Sounds good!" He started to walk backwards into the kitchen, and hit his side on the island. He stumbled forward towards Kris. "Whoops...sorry about that." He laughed nervously.

"Are you hurt?" Kris felt his warmth against her as she looked up at him. She resisted the urge to just give him a passionate kiss right then and there.

(Stop it. We're making food now.) She looked down while also laughing nervously.

Seeing the look on her face, Ralsei got an idea. He quickly leaned forward and gave her a small and gentle kiss on her head. "Nope. I feel great!"

Her face started to get pink. She couldn't even think straight.

"Th-that's good! Uh... shall we get started?" She smiled while blushing.

"Yep!" He walked over to the refrigerator, making sure to not walk backwards this time. He was still holding her hand with one of his paws, so he struggled to lift the egg carton with one arm. It wasn't heavy, but he definitely didn't want to drop it. He put it on the island behind them quickly.

Wanting to do something nice for Kris, he tried to do the same thing with the milk jug. There was no way he could lift it with just one arm though. He looked at Kris. "I might need your help with this one."

Kris tried not to laugh. "You silly. You're going to get hurt if you keep holding my hand like this." She helps him with the milk jug while slightly having her hand over his other paw.

Together, they got the milk onto the island beside the eggs. "Cinnamon!" He was holding her hand again and walked over to get the cinnamon.

He wasn’t listening to her warning, yet she laughed as she squeezed his paw. “Honey, won’t I slow you down like this?”

"We have time!" He handed her the cinnamon. "I want to spend it holding your hand."

Kris chuckled. "You always hold my hand a lot already. But this is cute."

Placing the cinnamon down next to the ingredients. They were missing something.

"We need bread! And powdered sugar!"

"Right!" He hurried to go get the things they needed, but ended up tripping. That time he wasn't holding her hand. He hit his face on the floor.

(I keep being clumsy today...) His face turned red with embarrassment. His hat and glasses had come off but he didn't pick them up yet. He was trying to collect himself. (Is it because I'm nervous?)

Kris ran over to help him. While handing his glasses and hat over to him, she had a worried expression. "I did warn you about getting hurt."

Her hand touched his nose. "Does it hurt bad? Please, heal yourself if it does."

He winced at her touch. He used his magic to heal it, but it was still a little sore. Casting his spell again would be a waste of energy for something so small since it was basically healed anyway.

"My nose is still sore." He rubbed it gently with his paw. "Can you kiss it?"

Kris blushed at such a forward question. Ralsei never asks for kisses.

"Certainly." Kris gently pressed her lips onto his nose. Giving him a soft smooch. "There."

"Thank you." He smiled at her. "You're so sweet." For the first time that either of them remember, he was able to look directly into her eyes when he complimented her.

Surprised at that, Kris smiled in return. This change of attitude was... nice.

(I just hope he isn't forcing himself...)

She brushed away those thoughts.

"And so are you." She returned the compliment while also staring into his eyes. To this day, she's thankful she's able to look at them. To be able to have her sight back.

For a moment, both of them just sat there smiling at each other. To Ralsei it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He had complimented her, and she enjoyed it. He knew that she would, but the confirmation made him feel a lot less nervous.

He stood up and offered his paw to help her do the same.

Kris takes his paw and stands up. "Alright, time to get started!"

She grabbed the rest of the ingredients and started to crack open each of the eggs into a stirring bowl.

As she was doing that, Ralsei measured out the vanilla and cinnamon and added them to the bowl for Kris to mix together with the eggs. "There you go!"

With a nod, Kris started to beat the eggs at a fast rate. Her speed is great and consistent. It made a lovely texture for the bread to be dipped into. They were coated evenly thanks to Ralsei.

Sizzle.

A couple of bread slices was placed on a frying pan that Kris had started to cook.

Ralsei had something that he wanted to do, but...Kris was too close to the stove. He didn't want to risk hurting her. He stood by as she cooked and let her focus.

Placing the finished toast on a plate, she went away from the stove to prep the next batch.

"Um...Kris." He went over to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind, putting his head close to her ear.

B-bmp.

B-bmp.

Kris felt Ralsei's SOUL thumping from behind her. His warmth felt so nice. It also made her heart fluttery.

Is this how Ralsei feels whenever she would do things like this?

"Yes?" Kris asked with a blush.

"Nothing," he responded. "I just wanted to do that." He smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying her presence.

Kris felt a bit happy. And tingly. She couldn't help it but kissed his cheek as she finished the next batch of toast prep.

Ralsei blushed a little and then moved out of the way so she could get to the stove.

After all of that, the french toast was finally done. They both didn't talk much as they ate. Their hunger overtook their chatting time until their plates are cleaned off from a good meal.

"That was good!" Ralsei chimed. He put his head on the table, content from the meal.

"We make a great team." Kris agreed while wiping her lips with a napkin.

Ralsei yawned. "I haven't eaten that much so early in the morning for a while. It made me a little sleepy..."

He looked like he was about to fall asleep in his seat. "I'm going to lay down on the couch for a little bit. Do...you want to come with me?"

"You should know my answer." Kris found Ralsei's sleepy face charming. She goes to follow him to the couch.

Ralsei laid down close to Kris, and immediately felt even sleepier.

Must stay awake!

His arms wrapped around her and he brought his face close, his eyes fighting to stay open. "Kris, I-"

"What is it?" Kris blushed a bit. She was watching him trying to stay awake. She didn't want to push it. "It's alright, get some rest." She pet his head.

"I just want to say that..." His voice trailed off as his eyes closed. It wasn't even a minute later that Kris heard snoring.

"Your snoring's even adorable." She whispered. Kris just stared at his sleeping face. Carefully, removed his glasses and places it onto the end table.

Silly goat. He always forgets to remove them.

She snuggled closer to him. "You can tell me later... I'll wait."

(I'll always wait even though it kills me sometimes.)

...

Azzy and Noelle's relationship seemed to be a happy one. But, although they both loved each other, one of them was hurting. Azzy.

It wasn't as bad at first, but as time went on he started to feel guilty whenever he was around her. Which was most of the time.

(She should be with someone else.)

(She's going to get hurt.)

(I'm so scared of hurting her...)

His troubled thoughts were starting to get the best of him. Noelle didn't know that anything was wrong because he was super good at hiding it. Nonetheless, it managed to keep him awake at night.

(I can't do this anymore.) He sat up in bed one night and put a shaking hand against his head as he smiled bitterly. (I need to talk to someone about this.)

....

KNOCK

KNOCK

There was a sound coming through Ralsei's and Kris's front door. The sound woke up Ralsei, but Kris, however, actually was still asleep.

Back then, she had woken up at the slightest sound. Now, that she's at peace, she doesn't need to worry about any genocide.

Ralsei looked over at Kris and smiled. She looked so peaceful. (Don't worry. I'll get the door.)

He slowly got away from the couch, trying his hardest to not wake Kris up. He went to the door.

When he opened it, he smiled at the familiar face. "Azzy! What brings you here?"

Azzy looked away, feeling guilty. "I think I should break up with Noelle."

Ralsei's smile faded. "Why? Are things not working out?"

"I just..." That was the most nervous Ralsei had ever seen him. "I feel guilty. Would she be happier with someone else?"

...

Noelle was on a morning stroll. She was humming at some points. It was a nice day in the Underground. Sometimes, it would be strange. Some parts, like in a merged form of Waterfall, it would 'rain'.

How was this place so pretty? Surely, the surface would be nice for everyone, but with Asgore's new law about humans, monsters agreed. A fish monster didn't seem to like it, but no one would agree with her protests.

Monsters from the Dark World didn't have any clue about that law. They could relate to being sealed, but after their king was captured, the people had a celebration. Asgore is king of the whole land now. Lancer didn't seem to mind. He used to visit his dad in prison, but it would stop due to his dad's verbal let downs towards him.

It took some time, everyone seemed to adjust. Well, Susie is struggling a bit for some reason.

(Perhaps Azzy and I should hang out with them today. It has been awhile.) She noticed Ralsei's and Kris's house was up ahead.

(Is it too early to say hello over there?)

As she was heading closer, trying to decide, she hears Azzy's voice from the distance. She couldn't see him due to their fencing around their house. Yet she knows it is him because....

'I think I should break up with Noelle.'

Her 'heart' stopped. SOUL, feeling a hurt. A hurt that's so great.

(What...)

She was in shock, but she didn't want to hear anymore. Her movement became faster as she turned the other way around, forgetting everything she was just pondering about.

(I... don't understand....!)

The pace of her feet picked up quicker. Eyes were burning due to the rapid tears that won't stop coming out.

(I DON'T UNDERSTAND!!)

All the memories of her and Azzy poured from her head. The loving touches. The way he looked at her at times. Was it all... a lie? She wanted to disappear.

Yet, this isn't the first time this has happened with heartbreak. She did have someone in the past before. Yet they left.

They just got bored with her. Her shyness was annoying. She was only 15. It was a shorter relationship than this one. This was her longest one. One that she had felt so loved.

(Does he not love me anymore?)

The pain worsened. She felt like throwing up. Too afraid to also go back and just ask him herself. The message was too clear for her. As she kept running, she didn't know where to go. She didn't care where she would end up at. She just wished that she would wake up from this nightmare.

Ralsei and Azzy were unaware that Noelle had been listening. Ralsei had a sad look. "But you love her, right?"

"Of course I do!" Azzy said. "That's why I think we shouldn't be together...I want her to be happy. I'm sure there's someone else who could make her happier than I could."

Ralsei sighed. "It's up to you what to do. Maybe you should just talk to her about it. I know she loves you a lot."

Azzy groaned, irritated that that was the only advice he could get from Ralsei. He sort of expected some wise words to magically make his problems go away. (I guess it doesn't work that way.)

"Thanks," he mumbled. "I will go find her."

Ralsei watched as Azzy walked away.

Chapter Text

By the time Azzy reached Noelle's house, it was nearly lunch time. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. (Maybe she's out doing something. I can talk to her when she comes back.)

He went to his own house which was right beside hers. Despite being hungry from all that walking, he didn't feel like eating. His appetite was completely gone.

Hours passed. Azzy's worry would grow with each passing minute that Noelle didn't show up. He would sit on the couch with his head in his paws. Every once in a while he would start to pace around the room.

He looked out the window and saw that the sun was setting. (How long has it been?) It felt like the hours were merging together.

He still hadn't heard from Noelle. No phone calls or anything. (That's not like her. Something is wrong.) He walked over to the door that led outside. (I need to go look for her.)

...

The Wishing Room had slight echoes of the echo flowers.

They were mimicking Noelle's sobs. She hasn't eaten at all the whole day. Her eyes were swollen from her constant tears coming out.

It was starting to dehydrate her, but she didn't care.

(I wanted to be with you forever... I would have had a family again....) She buried her head into her knees while sitting on the ground.

Toriel and Asgore, she met with them at times with Azzy. They would joke around that she'd become their daughter-in-law someday. Now, that would be too painful.

There's no new family for her in the future.

(It's...my fault....?)

Constantly blaming herself for all these hours. How much time had passed by? It is hard to tell since this place doesn't reveal the time.

She doesn't want to go home nor see anyone. This is all too much for her to handle.

(I wish I would have just not come back at all if it was going to be like this...)

As Azzy walked he heard something. It sounded like...a chorus of crying? Loud cries coming from the wishing room. (The echo flowers must be making it sound like that...)

He went into the room to investigate. Then he saw her.

"Noelle!" He ran forward and sat on the ground in front of the bench, grabbing her hands. "What's wrong?"

"Let go!" Noelle drew her hands away from him. She feels bitter and hurt. The tears won't stop as she sobbed. "I already know you want to leave me! Just please, go away! I don't need to hear anymore!"

She was hyperventilating a bit with her crying as she yelled. Seeing him made her feel so much worse.

The sight of her like that made him feel a strong feeling of guilt. The way she pulled her hands away made his soul ache. (I deserve this...I deserve all of this. But she doesn't. Why does this hurt her so much?)

"How do you know that?" He asked. "You overheard, didn't you?" He looked down. "So you know why then?"

"No! I...don't want to hear it!" She shrieked and cried, as she stood up. "I get it! You never had loved me at all! It's all a lie! I'm just so stupid! How can anyone possibly want to even be with me? I wish I never had come back here!"

She tried to leave, Azzy stood up and grabbed her wrist. He immediately felt bad. (Why do I want to try to make her stay? I'm so selfish. I don't even deserve a chance to explain myself.)

"I'm leaving the Underground. I can't do this.... What are you doing? Isn't this what you want?" Noelle angrily cried as she tugged away her arm.

"I don't know." He sniffled. "Don't go up there though. The humans will kill you. I know what they can be like."

"Why would it matter?! Nothing I do is your business anymore! It never was to begin with." She snapped as she goes to leave again. Every word was hurting her hurt worse. She loves him, a lot.

She so badly wants to ask him to stay with her, but knows she shouldn't. If he wanted to, he wouldn't be like this.

His grip on her wrist tightened, not letting her walk away. "Noelle, listen to me!" He was starting to tear up. "I know I don't deserve you, and I know it's not my business. You can live your life and do what you want without me. But please, don't go up there. I don't know if I'm being selfish or not. I probably am. But if anything happened to you I couldn't go on."

"What...?" Noelle took a shaky breath in. "What do you mean that you don't deserve me? Can't go on? You're not making any sense!"

"I hurt you so much...you shouldn't forgive me. I don't understand how you did." His legs felt weak. He fell to his knees. "I want you to be happy. To live a better life. I don't care who with as long as he treats you right. Just don't go to the surface. If you died because of something that I did, it would be too much grief for me to live with."

"All you have been giving me lately was your love and affection..." She turned to him. "I was happy... with YOU. Not being with you... I can't stand it! Why are you saying stuff like this? Is being with me really a burden?"

Confusion stirred within her emotion. She doesn't understand. It only made her cry more.

“You’ve done nothing wrong. You have always been so loving and kind.” His hold on her wrist started to loosen and eventually let go having his paw fall onto his lap. “Doesn’t it bother you that I’m a murderer?”

Surely, it was like he never committed those acts now. Yet he still felt like one. His own guilt couldn’t be erased. In his mind, there would always be innocent blood on his paws.

"Azzy..." Noelle's tear droplet fell onto his paw. "You were corrupted by LOVE. There was a virus. You didn't choose to do anything.... When you were a flower, you had no emotions... It... wasn't your fault. You didn't kill willingly. If... you were a real murderer, you would still be killing. You would have already killed me...."

He looked up at her for a minute and then stood up quickly, pulling her close to him. "I love you...but I find it hard to get close to others. You seem to be the only one I can really connect with. How is it possible to know that it's not just you keeping me sane? How is it possible to know that I don't still have evil in me? That I won't start killing again?" He smiled bitterly. "Am I crazy?"

Noelle had no idea he was so hard on himself. Embracing him with everything she has, she buried her face into him. "Why did you bottle this up? We're supposed to be a couple... I would have listened to you. I don't see you as someone evil. You're gentle, loving, and protective. Everything I had ever wanted in a man. I don't even sense any LOVE within you. That is your own anxieties messing with you."

"You're not crazy... I just love you so much. I get you have a past you cannot change." Her expression had a mixture of sorrow, frustration and neediness to it. "But dealing with it alone like this is unacceptable. I'm sorry I had failed to notice...."

"You failed to notice because I failed to show you. I tried to keep it all inside." His teardrops continued to fall. "Are you sure that you're happy? I wouldn't be mad if you wanted to be with someone else."

"Stop that!" She snapped through her tears. "You can't decide who I can be with! I don't want or need anyone else but you! I'm only so heart broken now that you'd even think that I would want to be with someone else!"

"I know..." He said sadly. "I'm sorry that I upset you. Ralsei was right. I should have just talked to you in the first place."

"Will you...always want to leave me?" She sobbed. "I'm afraid that I'll eventually bore you... Or you'd get sick of me..."

"No. I never wanted to, but I thought it was for the best. I guess I was wrong in that..." He held her tighter.

"You definitely was wrong!" She exclaimed. "I haven't eaten and cried all day thinking that I wasn't going to have a potential family anymore!"

That last part, just came out abruptly. But she didn't realize she said that yet due to her strong emotions.

"You'll have a family." He smiled sadly. "I don't think we're ready for marriage yet though."

"I-ignore what I last said." She stammered and sniffed. Her nose felt like it was burning too from the hours of crying. There was a slight shiver she felt due to everything and having that breakdown.

Azzy should have known Noelle doesn't deal with loss very well...

"Alright." He took a small step back from her and put a finger under her chin to get her to look up at him. He kissed her cheek, tasting the salt of her tears. "Are you still mad at me?"

"I wasn't mad, just was really hurt..." Noelle looked down. She feels a bit tired. Exhausted from all the tears that she has a bad headache. "You owe me for this..."

"I know I do. I will try to make it up to you somehow." He offered his hand. "Do you want together?"

Instead of taking his hand, she clung closely to him arm. She just wanted to be close to him. There was a grumbling noise coming from her stomach. She didn't necessarily feel hungry, but she didn't eat at all. She felt herself shivering a bit against him.

"Let's stop for food on the way," he said. "I'm pretty hungry too." He laughed nervously.

"Hey, afterwards, um..." Noelle's voice was a little hoarse due to crying.

"Hm?" He tilted his head.

"Can I... Well..." Noelle looked nervous for some reason.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Can I sleep over?" Noelle asked boldly.

(Omgosh, what am I doing?! I sound too needy!!)

Due to her flustered state, she was about to retract her question, but Azzy interrupted her.

"I would like that." He smiled at her.

"Really?" Noelle recalled the comment about marriage, so she was a bit surprised from that.

"Of course," he responded. "It sounds fun. Plus, a good opportunity to spend more time together. I need to take care of you."

A little disappointed by his relaxed reaction, she was hoping for a blush of some sort.

(Darn.)

All the time, he gets her so flustered when he's so forward. It's hard to read him at times.

Little does she know, what he's actually feeling.

Nervous. Internally flustered. He was always so good at hiding it though. He looked at Noelle. "You...seem disappointed?"

"How do you do that?" Noelle pouted.

"Do what?"

"Like, act like it's not a big deal." Noelle blushed. "I'm always feeling like a hot tomato."

He chuckled. "I feel like a hot tomato too. I'm just better at hiding it than you are. But don't worry about that. You're cute when you blush."

(I want to see you blush too!) Noelle thought, but if she said that out loud, she would have melted.

(Just you wait, I will get you with this sleepover.) Noelle secretly plotted. Staying with someone can always show their habits. Can't hide it forever. But thinking about it just made her face look worse.

Azzy gently poked her cheek. "You're turning redder," he teased.

"Hey!" Noelle grabbed his hand. And then stopped to look at him.

He gazed back at her and smiled. "You're so beautiful. Do you know that?"

Gahhh!

There it goes again, the sound of her SOUL pounding. She looked away with a blush. "N-no, I'm not. My eyes are probably swollen."

"Look at me." He rubbed the back of his paw along her cheek. "You will always be beautiful. No matter what."

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Internally squealing, she loves it when he treats her like this. Obeying, she looks at him. She bravely kisses the back of his paw. "Can you promise me to never leave me?"

He was totally unprepared for a question like that. He thought about it for a moment. "Yes. I will always be here."

(So why am I so scared of marriage?)

"Good. Don't try to leave me again." She grumbled with a blush.

"I know." He looked away sadly. "I'm so sorry for making you cry."

"I forgive you." She kissed his cheek. Her legs were trembling due to the lack of food.

"Would you like me to carry you the rest of the way?" He asked. "I wouldn't mind it."

"Yes. Sorry about this." Noelle chuckled. "Plus, I can be closer to you this way. Um... I hope I'm not heavy."

Azzy lifted her up slowly. "You're not heavy," he reassured her. "I should be able to carry you with no problem."

Noelle clinged closely towards Azzy. She was a little worried since she was a bit underweight when she met him. Now, she's a healthier weight.

"Thank you." she smiled, enjoying the closeness to him.

"No problem." He was glad to see that look on her face. He started to walk in the direction of Snowdin.

Time has passed, they received a good meal. On their way home, Noelle does live next door to him.

"Let me grab my stuff." She played with her hair. "And...thank you for dinner."

He nodded with a smile. "Any time! I will wait at my place while you get your stuff."

Noelle made her way inside of her house while Azzy went into his. There were thoughts racing through his mind.

(Is she really about to stay the night?) He ran his paw through his fur nervously. (Will we share the bed? To feel her so closely like that… That would be nice...)

...

Shampoo? Check.
Soap? Check.

Noelle was figuring out what to pack in her bag. It shouldn't be too much stuff. It was only for one night anyway! For some reason, she felt a bit nervous.

(I'm going to turn into a puddle!)

She wanted to make him show that he feels this way too. At least once. She was about to pack her pajamas, but had an idea.

(I want to wear Azzy's pjs...) Her face turned blood red. It's almost like it was glowing.

'How to impress and fluster your boyfriend'.

That was typed as a question into her computer.

'Dress up for him. Nothing gets a man going when you look dazzled.'

Come to think of it, has she ever done that before? She does lack the confidence to do so. She started looking up tutorials how to do her hair. Dresses and stuff like that.

Feeling nervous, she felt determined to look pretty for Azzy.

"Let's to this!" She exclaimed to herself.

....

There was a soft knock at Azzy's door.

(There she is. I can do this. This will be fun!) He went to the door and opened it up.

His eyes widened.

She was wearing a pink dress that covers just one of her shoulders, leaves the other uncovered and flows down into a beautiful neckline. It's a relaxed fit that looks elegant. Her arms are bare to see her soft fur.

The dress' waist is thin, but it's a comfortable fit. A cloth ribbon has been wrapped around her and tied in the front.
Below the waist the dress widens and has multiple diagonal layers from top to bottom. The dress reaches just above her knees.

She's wearing short heels, which adds simplicity and elegance. To top it all off she's wearing a bow in her hair and a simple, yet pretty necklace. As for hair, it is styled that matches the rest of her attire. Her makeup isn’t heavy, but just right.

“I’m sorry I took so long.” Noelle smiled with a blush.

"Noelle...you look amazing." He was surprised to see her dressed up like that, and it made him blush slightly. He shook his head to calm himself down and smiled, taking her hand. "Come inside!"

Noelle's heart is fluttering. (I saw it just for a moment! How does he make it disappear so fast?)

"Thank you." She smiled. "I thought since I couldn't dress up earlier, I could do so with our movie date tonight."

Azzy closed the door behind them as they both walked into the house. "I didn't know you liked to dress up like that."

Be flirty.

(Oh my gosh.) Noelle gulped.

"Well, I wanted to surprise you." She moved closer to him, there was a scent of vanilla perfume coming from her. She tried not to blush, but it failed.

"You keep doing that." He smiled and put his arm around her.

She places her hand onto his arm and flutters her eyes with her long lashes. Her blush became worse. She playfully touched his ear. "Let's go watch a romantic movie."

(This is driving me crazy!!) She wonders what he's thinking of.

"Yeah." The way she looked at him did make his soul pound. "That sounds nice."

(It seems like she's getting more confident.) He felt happy for her. The way she was acting was making him feel restless, but he hid it.

As they were getting ready for a movie, Azzy was sitting on the couch. Noelle was heading that way too.

(Phase two!)

Pretending to twist her ankle, "Wah!" She falls over, slightly on top of him.

"Noelle!" He helped her to sit up so that she was sitting beside him. "Are you alright?" His eyes were full of concern.

"I-I'm fine." Her strap to her dress was slightly falling down due to her falling like that.

Azzy noticed and put his pointer finger underneath her strap to put it back up. “I had to fix your strap.” He explained with a smile.

(HOW DOES HE DO THAT WITHOUT FALTER?!) Noelle internally screams as she feels super hot now. It was like the room was on fire.

Like she was a boiling teapot ready to scream.

(Am I not enticing enough?) She started to self-doubt herself. (He's so irresistible, like it makes me want to explode!!)

"Your face is red again," he said in a teasing manner.

"I-I'm! Going! To! The! Bathroom!" Noelle left in a flustered state.

As she was gone, Azzy felt like his soul was pounding. The way she was acting was adorable. Beautifully sensual. Every movement of hers made his body felt like an inferno.

(How can anyone be so cute?) He felt his face heating up a bit. It was like she was inviting him to shower her with his affection.

Noelle ends up coming back into the room, after making herself cool off. She didn't notice Azzy's expression, but he heard her arrival.

(Go away! Before she notices!) He started to rub his cheeks quickly as if that would help. When his arms moving caught her attention he covered his cheeks with his floppy ears.

"Azzy?" Noelle peered a bit closer to him, bending down. She started to giggle. "Are you...hiding from me?”

"No..." He mumbled into his ear. "Why would I do that?"

"Hmmm?" She drew a little closer to him in an attractive way.

It definitely was making Azzy feel super flustered. "I said no." He said it louder this time, but he still hid his face. The way she was looking at him. He couldn’t hold back.

He leaned forward and kissed her. He sat back again and revealed his blushing face. "Ok...maybe I was."

"Wah!" Noelle was admiring the hue of his face. She sat down next to him. "Your expression is adorable." She felt all giddy and blushy for that reason and from that tender kiss.

(It's working!!)

Feeling braver, yet also flustered, her hand gently placed against his fluffy, rosy cheek. "I'd love to kiss you more and more."

"What's stopping you then?" He asked with a smile.

She was surprised at the question, but she is accepting the challenge. Slowly, with her breath causing a feeling, her lips touches his, causing a fiery tension between them.

Her SOUL accelerated quickly. Heat rose from her stomach to her chest. It made her feet criss cross one another. If she had toes, she'd curl them.

Azzy felt his soul race. Her soft lips made him want more. For the moment to last longer. As he brought his paws to her face it felt like there was some sort of strange static from every touch. He wondered if she could feel it too.

This was the most intense kiss Noelle ever felt from him. He is an extremely good kisser. There was a sense of inner turmoil going on. She feels a bit insecure with how she's doing. Subtly, she tries to stop, but she can't seem to either resist his touch. It was a bit thrilling.

Too thrilling that was making her face feel hotter as she moved herself closer by wrapping her arms around him.

He could feel her face heating up against his. The warmth of her face and her arms around him made him feel conflicting emotions. Relaxed, and yet he also felt a strong burst of adrenaline.

She couldn't control the butterflies in her throat, the violent beating of her SOUL pounding. His kisses tasted really sweet and tender. She can really feel his love spreading out from her feelings from antlers to hooves. Her hands caressed his fluffy ears to his back. He's really taking her breath away.

Azzy backed away slowly with his eyes still closed, and pressed his forehead against Noelle's. He could feel her breathing against him. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too." Noelle felt his forehead against hers. It did feel hot. She can't tell if it was because of her blushing face. Slowly opening her eyes, she decided to peek at his face.

He had a smile on his face and he was blushing. "Are you ready to watch the movie?" He opened his eyes and saw that she was looking at him.

"Yes." She giggled, still feeling fluttery. "Your face is REALLY red." Her voice sounded triumphant.

"I guess it is." He chuckled. "I will go get the movie."

After the long, two hour movie. It was pretty late. Noelle was pretending to look for the pajamas she didn't pack.

"Oh no!" She exclaimed, trying to sound convincing. "I forgot my pjs!"

(No use making her walk over to her house,) he thought. "Would you like to borrow some of mine?"

Success!

They say men's brains stop working if they see you in their clothes.

"Sure!" She tried not to stutter. She doesn't know why, but she's feeling a little nervous. These butterflies are going rampant.

Azzy went to look for clothes and then returned with a gray adult onesie. (This will look good on her.)

He handed it to her. "There you go. Will this work? It'll be big on you, but..." He looked at her holding the onesie. There was a big size difference between him and her since he was tall. It would be extremely big on her. (That makes it even cuter,) he thought.

Noelle took it and started giggling. "Yeah. I didn't even know you had one of these."

It makes her happy to see this since it shows he really does have a soft side to him.

"I just think they're more comfortable than normal pajamas," he said a little nervously. "More fuzzy."

Noelle giggled as she walked away to get changed.

Azzy was excited to see what she would look like in that outfit.

Wearing.

His.

Onesie!

That sounded a little weird in his head. But she would be adorable!

Putting the onesie on, it was rather big and baggy on her. The pants kept going over her hooves. She hopes she can walk in these well.

There was a scent lingering from his clothes.

(It smells like him...)

It really was warm, but thinking that made her feel hot due to her blushing. The sleeves were covering her hands too. Carefully, she steps out of the bathroom, slightly looking away from her shyness.

Azzy's face started to turn a noticeable shade of red. "You should keep that. It looks great on you."

"Are you sure I can have it?" Her face lit up. Seeing his reaction made her ecstatic.

"Of course." He loved how happy she looked with that. "I have a few other ones like that anyway."

Noelle smiled as she plays with her hair. "Thank you..."

"It's no problem." He started to get more nervous all of a sudden. "Are you feeling tired yet?"

"Yes. It is quite late." She chuckled. "Are you going to get changed too?"

He nodded, and then got an idea. "I think I have a onesie that matches that one."

"Hold on a minute." Azzy disappeared into his room. He came back out wearing a matching onesie. "I found it!"

Noelle flailed her arms around, making the sleeves flap up and down. "It's like a couples set!"

"That's what I was thinking of too." He walked forward and took her hand. "Let's get some rest now. We will be tired tomorrow if we don't get some sleep."

She rubbed her thumb against his hand. "So, where am I sleeping at?"

He got a thoughtful expression. "You can share the bed with me if you want."

"Wh-what?" Noelle started to talk fast. "I-I mean, um!!"

Her brain stopped working. "I mean, I... Yeah!"

Azzy laughed. "Come on." He gently led her to his room. "I'm sorry that my bed isn't very big." He sat down on the bed, still holding her hand. "I think there's room though."

Due to her nerves, she gulped. This will be the closest she will ever be to him!

(Why am I so nervous?!)

She looked around her surroundings. She never had been in his room before. He seems to be a very tidy person. Everything is neat and some of the furniture is like a pale yellow with golden decor on it.

Gently and awkwardly, she sits on the bed next to him. "It's fine. The bed seems comfy."

"It is." He felt nervous there, but he laid down. His face had a hint of red. He pulled the blankets up over his face.

Noelle also kept blushing and laid down with him. She went underneath the covers. There was not much distance between them, so she was lying closely to him. She can almost hear her SOUL beating.

Azzy faced away from her due to his red face, but they were still touching. He couldn't bring himself to face her direction like that. (Just go to sleep. It'll be alright.)

"Azzy." Noelle stammered. "Why are you turning away from me?"

(I should probably just tell her the truth...) He turned around so that he was facing her. "I'm nervous. I'm sorry."

Seeing this side of Azzy, made Noelle feel a bit better about herself. His expression looked sweet and genuine. He looked really shy. It wasn't completely dark inside his room as some sort of 'moonlight' was hitting his face from the window.

"I-it's ok. I'm nervous too." She stuttered. "Should I...sleep somewhere else?"

"No." He put a paw under her face and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "I like this feeling."

The tingling inside her chest worsened. She kind of squeaked from his touch. "I do too."

She added another comment. "I love to see this side of you... It's cute... It's a bit of a treat for me."

"I thought you liked the other side of me better," he admitted. "I don't usually act like this...you're making my soul melt though."

"I love both sides of you." She replied. "Although, you don't need to hide anything from me. I love seeing your face."

It feels like both of their feelings are growing stronger for each other.

"Then I won't hide anything from you," he said with a smile. "I want to be honest with you from now on."

"Me too." Noelle yawned. "My first step to honesty is that I pretended to forget my pajamas." She quietly laughed.

"You did?" His eyes widened. "You could've just said so. I think it's cute that you wanted to wear my clothes."

"Sorry..." Noelle buried her face shamefully underneath the blankets. "I thought it would have been more surprising that way..."

"Hey..." He continued to stroke her face. "Don't feel bad. It was brave of you to admit that."

"IalsopretendedtotripearliertoosoIcouldmakeyougocrazyaboutme." Noelle started to blush worse from his touch. It made her want to get closer to him. Without thinking, she scooted super close to him while burying her face into his chest.

"I'm already crazy about you." He rubbed the back of her head and neck. "You don't have to worry about that part."

Noelle didn't reply to him. There was a sound of soft breathing coming forth from her mouth. Azzy held her close as he felt her warmth. He tried to relax. It took him awhile to fall asleep along with her.

Chapter Text

It is about 10 pm. Kris is sitting on the bed, waiting for Ralsei to come. She feels a bit... nervous.

Will it happen tonight? Her knees wiggle side to side in anticipation. Her heart is pounding a bit, but she breathes to calm any nerves.

(I will not make a move on him. He should. He's my husband for crying out loud!)

She's not wearing anything too revealing. Just a simple, modest bathrobe. Ralsei would probably pass out if she were to do anything more.

(He said he wanted a baby too... I hope it's not just because of me.)

The anxiety is pushed away as she sees Ralsei come into the room.

Ralsei closed the door behind him, and his anxiety rose when he heard it latch. He was doing so much better the whole day about being brave. But now...this was different. This was scarier to him.

He wanted to try, but a small part of him still didn't feel ready. He didn't even know what to say. He started to walk towards her, his soul racing more and more with each step.

"U-umm...Kris..." He tried to talk, but he was such a mess with his face heating up. He felt like passing out. (I'm terrible at talking like this...) He realized. (I don't know if I can do this...)

"Is something wrong, Ralsei?" Kris's face was full of worry.

"I'm sorry..." He couldn't look at her. He was too embarrassed. "I-I'm fine."

(I don't want to mess this up for her. I want this! So why am I so scared?)

He went to take another step forward, but he felt shaky. He took a step back instead. "Sorry..." He apologized again.

"It's alright. Dear, are you absolutely sure you're fine with this?" His actions were making her feel even more worried.

"Yes." He forced himself to go to the bed and he sat down beside her. He reached over for her hand and just sat there for a few moments as he tried to get up the courage to do more. He couldn't find any courage though. (Why can't I just be brave and confident like Kris? I know she loves me. Why is this hard?)

He decided that he had to do something. He turned to look at Kris, but then he saw the look on her face and he froze.

"Stop it." Kris looked down. Her eyes were tearing up. "Why do you do this to yourself? Forcing yourself do things you don't want to do?"

He realized that he didn't have a good answer to that question. He did want for it to happen, but his nerves got in the way. Yet he didn't tell her. He kept trying to force himself.

"I did want to do it." He rubbed her hand, feeling terrible that she was crying.

"No... If you don't want to, just tell me!" She sobbed. "I feel like I'm putting too much pressure on you. You're so kind and innocent. You wouldn't want to hurt my feelings if you do what I wanted. I don't want to be selfish anymore. I want to consider your feelings."

"I wasn't lying..." He was trying not to cry too at that point. "I want to start a family with you."

"But I can see it in your face..." Kris stammered. "It's like you're terrified of me... I... don't want this if it makes you look at me that way. It... makes me feel like I'm often assaulting you."

She lies down and holds onto one of the pillows onto the bed. It hurts. A lot.

(I'm not going to bring it up again. I'm not going to be too much for him ever again.)

"I'm not scared of you at all!" She could tell by his breathing that he had started to cry. "I'm scared of doing something wrong. But that's not your fault. It's just me..."

She sits back up. She wanted to reach to hold him, but for some reason, it makes her feel like a dirty person. All she could do was rub the side of his shoulder. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for... Please, don't bash yourself because of me."

She doesn't like crying around him. So she tries everything she could to make herself stop. But it failed.

"Your feelings make sense though..." He felt bad for crying when she needed reassurance. He didn't know how to support her either though. "Kris...don't blame yourself. I want to see you happy."

"I'm fine." She lied. "Let's... just go to bed..."

She looked down at herself. Even though it's just a robe, she feels a bit repulsed. "I'll...get dressed first." She gets up to leave.

He didn't try to stop her even though he wanted to. He started to feel a little scared for something else then. (Am I holding her back by being this way? Keeping her from being happy just because I'm scared?)

He shook his head. (We're married. We've been together through so much. I shouldn't worry about that.) He thought back about a time that felt like forever ago when he was in that town, but it wasn't empty then. (The people of that town didn't truly care, or they wouldn't have left. Kris does care. She's kind.) He took a deep breath. (She's here. I'm not alone. It'll be ok. I need to overcome this.)

Kris comes back in the most modest pajamas she has. They're super baggy too. She goes to lay down and put the blankets over herself. She didn't bring herself to give him any type of physical affection.

Just words are enough.

"I love you... Good night." She had a insecure whisper.

"K-Kris?" He asked. He knew of course why she was acting that way, but it hurt him. He was so used to more than that. He knew that she must feel really terrible for her to do that.

"Are you...coming? Or... Are you staying up a bit?" Her tone wasn't mean at all. She didn't know her actions was also hurting him. It hurt her to even hold back. She doesn't want to ever corrupt this sweet man.

Corrupt?

How can that be? She's his wife. It shouldn't be this way.

Why does she feel so wrong? She feels confused.

"I'm coming..." He took off his glasses and hat and put them on the table beside the bed. He laid down beside her. He knew that she probably didn't want any sort of physical affection at the time, but...he did. He tried to resist from doing anything.

(It looks like I was right about him forcing himself.) Kris sadly thought. (He doesn't want to be close to me all the time like I do with him...)

She kept her eyes closed, but it was hard to sleep with the aching in her heart. She was facing away from him. Ralsei thought that she was asleep. He wrapped his arms around her and put his head against her back. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered. "I know you can't hear me right now, but I love you. Please, never leave me."

Kris's heart skipped a beat while aching. His warmth. It was soothing to her. She feels his sadness.

(I'm such an idiot. Now, I'm making him afraid I'd divorce him...)

"Dear," Her voice surprised him. "I'll never, EVER leave you. The only way that would happen is if you want to leave me. I'm never going anywhere...Please, don't apologize. I seem to be causing so many problems that isn't your fault."

After he got over his surprise, he responded. "Kris...you wanting more from our relationship doesn't make you a bad person. You haven't done anything to me that's made me really upset."

"Really? I don't make you uncomfortable?" She asked.

"No." He held her tighter. "I...did better today. I got over my fear a little. I still have a while to go before I get used to this. I will though. I never want to not be able to feel you with me. You don't make me uncomfortable. You make me feel loved."

"You're just super shy. I feel bad it causes fear though..." Kris was loving the feeling of his arms. "Just know I won't ever judge you if you do make mistakes. I just love your affection and how it makes my heart feel despite any of it."

"I will keep that in mind," he said as he smiled. "Um...I'm actually comfortable like this. I'm glad you were awake so I could talk to you."

"Me too... I love being close to you..." Kris stated as she was starting to feel better. His closeness and warmth felt nice to her.

"Are you gettingtired? If so, then I don't want to keep you up forever," he said as henoticed her tone of voice. "Do you feel less upset?"

"Just a little. I feel more relaxed now." Kris admitted. "I do since you want to be close to me like this." Her arms wrapped around his that was lying on top of her.

He exclaimed. "I will always want to! I love you so much!"

"I love you so much too." She smiled.

She feels a lot better. She hopes, one day, they can progress more. Just patience is needed, yet she won't be impatient. At least, now she knows, she isn't pushing him.

"I love you more than I love cake," He mumbled happily. "A lot more than I love cake. Cake doesn't even really compare."

Kris giggled. "You're so silly. That's one of the reasons why I love you so much."

There was some silence. It seems she actually had fallen asleep.

Ralsei gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and then laid back down with his arms around her. "Good night, Kris."

...

Things with Frisk and Sans were getting intense. Sans was beginning to feel crazier whenever he has to stay with Frisk as she showers.

His SOUL was going wild. He felt a strong desire to get married to her.

The way Frisk would always have him stand there, she didn't realize how it was effecting him. In fact, she was also getting too flustered from just having him in there.

One time, she kind of slipped in the shower. It drove Sans insane not to be tempted to help her. But she was fine.

As Frisk was gathering clothes to prep for a shower, it was that time again. Her anxiety has been lessening over the span of time that had passed. She would feel safer with him there, but the agonizing intense feelings she, and also Sans, had gotten... She'd rather not have him there anymore. Not that either of them minded it, but it was getting a bit too much.

At the corner of her eye, she saw Sans, standing there. There was an obvious sweat on his face. His face has gotten blue every time she was prepping.

"Hey, Sans." She turned to him, while holding her stuff. "I think I can go by myself this time."

"Are you sure?" He asked. He had a worried expression. "I don't mind."

"I have been feeling better with you always around." Frisk smiled. "I think I gotten it through my head that everything's safe now."

"Alright...one of these days we should get married so we can take showers together. That'd be nice. Heh." He said that without thinking, and his face immediately turned a dark blue.

All of Frisk's stuff dropped onto the floor. Her mouth was wide open. Her expression had a look of surprise with her face a blood red shade.

"Did you...?" Frisk stammered. They had never talked about marriage before. Like ever. This was the first time he had talked about it.

"Was that- I mean-" She kept stuttering. She couldn't even say it.

An indirect proposal?!

"Uhh..." He lowered his face into his hoodie. "Frisk...do you want to? Get married, I mean?"

Her facial expression had a teary eyed look to it. Her face, still a pink hue, but also looking emotionally happy. "Yes!"

She quickly went over to him, giving him a big hug. "You mean it?" She added, making sure she heard him right.

"Of course." He hugged her in return, smiling at her response. "I can't think of a better way to spend my life than by your side."

She looked up to him, with a teasing, smug cat like smile. "And it's not just because you only want to shower with me?"

Saying that, made her blush too. But, it was a perfect opportunity to tease him for bringing up marriage like that. She couldn't help but also laugh a little bit while poking his cheek.

"No!" He said. "That would be nice though." He felt more embarrassed with her looking at him like that. Thinking about it more made his face heat up.

"Yeah." Frisk gotten all shy just thinking about it, but she covered it up by speaking up, "It's funny to tease you. Heehee." Then she started to cry emotionally happy. "This was a surprise. I'm truly happy."

"It was for me too. I didn't expect it to happen like this," he admitted. "I will get you a ring today."

"How long have you been thinking about this?" She curiously asked.

She felt excited about a ring. Now, she'll be part of the married crowd. Like Kris and Ralsei. Well, technically, their public ceremony will be coming soon too. She can't wait to tell all of her friends.

"Since you moved in with me." He gave her a sincere smile. "I didn't know if you were ready though. It was probably too soon."

"Oh wow." Her heart fluttered at that. She wiped away some of her tears. She wanted to have a special moment like this last, but she knew she had to go shower.

Alone, for once. Yet, she doesn't feel anxious this time. Because Sans is here. He's always there for her. And now, he wants to spend the rest of their lives together. It made her feel stronger. He really was her source of strength.

...

"YOU TWO ARE GETTING MARRIED?!" Papyrus's excited voice could be heard throughout the house.

"Yeah! We've been doing just fine living together, so I thought it was time."

"I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU, BROTHER!" He continued. "AND THE HUMAN TOO! I WILL BE RELATED TO A REAL HUMAN!"

There was no signs of Frisk having a panic attack while she was in the bathroom. This definitely wasn't something Sans was used to.

(She seems to be doing better,) Sans thought happily. (She's come so far from when she first moved here.)

There was a faint sound of the shower stopping. Clothes rustling. The squeak of the bathroom door opening.

"Sans! I was ok-" Frisk beamed, but saw a rushing Papyrus heading her way.

He did his usual hug of lifting her off the ground. "I HEARD THE NEWS! HOW EXCITING!"

Frisk laughed. "You're going to become my brother-in-law!"

"YES!" He said excitedly. "I WILL BE THE GREATEST BROTHER-IN-LAW! AND I'M SURE YOU WILL BE THE GREATEST SISTER-IN-LAW!" There was something coming from his eyes.

"Are you crying?" Sans asked.

"NO....YES!" Papyrus shouted. "THESE ARE HAPPY TEARS FOR YOU BOTH!"

"It looks like Papyrus took a WEEPING pill by accident." Sans snorted.

"NOOOOO!" Papyrus sat Frisk back down on the floor.

"Sans! I actually did it!" Frisk leaned in closer to whisper to him. "I didn't have one."

Papyrus is unaware of her panic attacks. It's better that he didn't know.

Sans put his face against her cheek and whispered. "I knew you could. You're strong."

"WHAT ARE YOU BOTH WHISPERING ABOUT?" Papyrus asked.

"That Sans had finally agreed to pick up his socks." Frisk tried not to laugh. Especially with the look Sans had given her.

Sans looked at Papyrus with an obviously forced smile. "Yep. That's what I said."

"REALLY?" Papyrus's eyes lit up. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! FRISK SEEMS TO BE A VERY GOOD INFLUENCE!"

"Yes I am." Frisk muffled her laughter into Sans's shoulder.

The feeling of Frisk laughing into his shoulder like that made Sans feel an odd sense of security. She had given him strength as well. He still struggled at times, but he was learning not to be so hard on himself. To relax and enjoy life despite all the trauma he and Frisk had been through.

"WELL!" Papyrus's voice tore Sans away from his thoughts. "YOU BETTER GET STARTED! YOU HAVE A LOT OF SOCKS!"

"Yeah, Sans." She winked at him with a large grin. "Once we have a house together, you need to keep the floors spotless."

Sans sighed in an almost comical manner. "I guess I will stop being lazy. Know that I'm only doing this for you though." He gently tapped her nose.

Frisk watched Papyrus leave the room. He looks like he was ready to cook something. Ever since the royal guard had stopped existing, Papyrus wanted to follow his next dream. A chef.

She looks at Sans. "So, since I have succeeded not having an episode in the bathroom, I may not need to sleep in your room anymore." Her voice was in a super teasing and joking tone. That was the reason why they were staying in the same room in the first place.

"What? I refuse for you to leave me." He blushed. "I like to be as close to you as possible."

"Hmm, I don't knooowww.." She joked. "You may need to..... catch me first!"

With that, she sprinted away. She knows it's a losing game with Sans. With his powers, he's fast anyways.

It didn't take long before he teleported in front of her and grabbed her, pulling her close. "Got ya!"

Frisk giggled, wrapping her arms around him while looking up. "Hey! You cheated!"

"Maybe I did," he said with a wink. "But I still caught you."

"It's alright. I love being caught by you." Frisk nuzzled her nose against where his is supposed to be.

"Good," he said in a teasing tone. "Because you're stuck with me now."

"Oh no." She smiled. "What do you plan on doing with me? I've been captured!"

She pretended she was trying to escape from him, but she kept giggling.

Sans continued to hold her close while laughing. "I don't know. Should I give you a kiss?"

"I don't know. Should you?" She playfully retorted while looking up at him.

"I think I should." He gave her a quick kiss.

"Hmm. Sir, I'd like to order a dozen more kisses, please." She emphasized.

"Coming right up," He said as he chuckled. He continued to kiss her over and over again with a small blush forming on his cheeks.

There was an evident redness on Frisk's face. He never failed to make her happy and heart fluttery.

She smooched his cheeks all over. "Your face is captivating so my lips lost control there."

"Oh, is that it?" He asked happily.

"Mhm." She sighed in a peaceful way while holding him tightly.

"So..." He started to talk. "Does this mean you will keep sharing the room with me?"

"Yes." She nodded. "You're my fiancé. It's mandatory."

It felt odd saying those words, but it was a happy kind of odd. It feels like a good dream to her. A dream that she never wants to wake up from.

"Good," he said. It felt nice to know that wouldn't change. He was enjoying every part of their life together.

"I can't wait to get married." His smile grew larger. "It will be the best day of my life."

"Mine too." She replied. "What are monster weddings like?"

She knew Kris and Ralsei exchanged vows with each other for a solo promise. Although, their public ceremony will be upcoming, yet she doesn't know what to expect from it.

(I wonder if humans ever married monsters before in the past.) She pondered if Kris is either the first to marry or that this hasn't happened in centuries.

"Well...I've never been to one," He admitted. "Never really got to research them or anything either. I know the husband waits for the wife to walk in all dressed up, and then there's usually a party afterwards. What about human weddings?"

"That sounds about the same." Frisk nodded. "It seems we aren't so different when it comes to that."

"Really?" He asked. "I always thought that humans and monsters did things like that differently."

"Same here!" She exclaimed. "Well, we aren't magical like you."

Minus Chara, but she's avoiding that topic. It's a mystery that he uses magic. Kris also has Lightner powers.

"Humans have many different types of wedding ceremonies. But the most common one is the one you mentioned." She finished.

"Is that the kind you want to have?" He asked. "Any kind is fine with me."

She started to blush. "I'm not too picky, but what places do you recommend for a wedding to be held at?"

"Well, we do have more options now with the worlds merged together. Maybe we should go for a walk to explore some?" He suggested.

"Weren't you going to pick out a ring for me?" She tilted her head. Little did she know Sans went to go get one while she was in the shower.

"I don't want to be around for that. I rather be surpr-"

He pulled the ring out of his pocket. "I uh...already got one." He grabbed her hand and slid it onto her finger.

Some teardrops came out of Frisk's eyes. It had a hint of a glow to it. It had a shape like an echo flower with a sparkly diamond in the middle.

Sans lifted her hand up and gave it a small kiss. "You like it?"

"I love it." She gazed at him. "I hope it wasn't expensive... It's so beautiful..."

"It's alright," he reassured her. "It was worth it to make you so happy."

Her hands lightly touched the sides of his cheeks and planted a deep kiss. Some of her tears ran onto his face. She slowly backed away, but stayed close to him. "I love you. I can't wait to be your wife."

"Me too..." His face got blue. "But not the wife part. I can't wait for you to be my wife. I'm...will be..." He paused. "You know what I mean. I love you too."

She giggled. "You're cute when you're flustered. In fact, you're always adorable, future hubby."

Saying that last part made her cheeks turned into a rosy tint.

"You're always adorable too, future wifey." He tried to have a teasing expression, but his blush was making it hard.

Frisk started to kiss each part of his cheeks that had the blue hue. Only for the blue to extend more. She started to giggle. "I think I'm winning the blush contest."

"I think you are too." He continued to smile at her. "I'm not very good at this. You keep making me blush."

Suddenly, someone popped up seemingly from the floor in between Frisk and Sans. "Did I hear the word contest?'"

Mettaton?

"How did you get here?" Sans asked. "How did you even know where we live?"

"You have summoned me by those words! If there's a blushing contest here I want to be in on it!" Mettaton said.

"That won't be necessary-" Frisk tried to leave with Sans to go house shopping.

"Oh, but it is!" Mettaton pushed them out the door and towards a busy area. He pushed a box over and made them stand on it, and then pulled out a megaphone.

Where was he hiding that?

"Step right up ladies and gentlemen to witness the first ever blushing contest!" Mettaton yelled. "Here we have Sans, the troubled skeleton who was saved by Frisk's love for him!" He did a dramatic pose.

"And over here is Frisk! The human girl who, despite everything, always believed in him! The romantic tension started when Sans proposed to her this morning, and has been getting intense ever since then! Who will be the one to make the other blush uncontrollably?!"

"How do you know all that stuff about us?" Sans asked. That didn't even make sense. Even if Mettaton did know somehow, shouldn't he have forgotten the other timeline? Unless he had just heard the story from eavesdropping.

"I have my ways. Very fabulous ways." Mettaton replied.

Frisk started to feel embarrassed. Mettaton was always one with his weird shenanigans.

There's a lot of eyes on them. Now, she feels obligated to stay.

"Um... So what's round one?" She asked out of curiosity. While the other part of her just wants to leave.

"Round one, darlings, is trying to use spoken words to get each other flustered!" Mettaton looked excited. "Things get more intense as the contest continues."

There was a round of applause from random monsters watching.

Sans was already embarrassed. He didn't think he would be any good at flirting. But...Frisk seemed to want to go along with Mettaton's crazy show for some reason. He might as well give it a shot.

"Frisk..." Sans face was already blue.

Frisk was winning without even saying anything! He had to think of a pick-up line! Something smooth!

"Are your eyes get lost in map?" Sans asked. He quickly realized his mistake.

"What?" Frisk giggled. "Also, you're blushing and I didn't have to say anything."

"I meant to ask if you had a map I could use. Because I keep getting lost in your eyes." Sans attempted a flirty wink.

She didn't really blush because of the pickup line. She giggled.

That wink though.

She slightly blushed.

"Well..." She thinks hard how to make him blush. "Sans...!" She exclaimed. "You're super handsome!!!"

For some reason with so many monsters watching them, he was getting more flustered easily. Maybe due to stage fright. His face only got even bluer than it already was.

"It seems Frisk has won this round!" Mettaton announced. "Ready for the next one?"

"Woohoo!" Frisk laughed off any hint of blushing she had.

The monsters cheered for the next round to start.

"Next round!" Mettaton's voice rang out. "The rules are for this one...physical affection is allowed, but no kissing!"

Sans walked towards Frisk and put a hand on the side of her face. (Time for a different approach.)

"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he said. Frisk's attitude was putting him at ease a bit. He was actually starting to have fun.

His touch and the way he looked at her made her blush deeply.

"Well- I-. Gosh..." She started to hide her face. His affection always makes her melt.

(That actually worked?!) He stared at her red face lovingly. "Your turn."

(No kissing, huh? This is going to be hard.) Frisk pondered.

She stood there awkwardly for a minute, realizing, she doesn't know what to do!

All she mustered up was to embrace Sans super closely. She mumbled. "I'm always yours and you'll always be mine." Sans laughed at how cute and shy she was.

"Hmm...Sans gets this one, but it was super close!" Mettaton decided. "What a beautiful display of affection! In this next round, kissing is allowed."

Sans took a step back away from Frisk. He used one of his hands to cup under her chin, and he looked down into her eyes. The situation, especially the whispers from the crowd, caused him to blush again. Looking into her eyes was soothing though.

Frisk felt her heart pounding as she stared into his eyes. The way he always looks at her before a nice kiss... Ugh! Gets her every time!

(Think of it as practice. Practice like for your wedding day! You're going to kiss in front of a lot of people! What's the big deal?)

But thinking that made her blush worsen.

Sans leaned down and gave her a long kiss. Mettaton, of course, ruined the moment. "Ohh how romantic! It seems that Sans has won this round as well! Sans wins this contest! Now, for the bonus round-"

"I think that's enough for today," Sans said nervously. "I don't even want to know what the bonus round is."

"S-same." Her face felt hot.

She feels like it's getting a bit too personal now. So she took his hand to indicate she's ready to go.

They started to walk off the stage, and heard Mettaton telling the monsters that the show was over. "That was...interesting," Sans said.

"That's Mettaton for you." She responded. "He doesn't know boundaries."

Sans nodded in agreement. "I was pretty good at getting you to blush though, wasn't I?" He teased.

"N-no." She denied it and looked the other way. He's too good at this, but she isn't admitting that. Her reactions like this always makes his teasing worse. But she secretly likes being treated this way.

"But I won!" He pointed out. "You were blushing a lot." He poked her cheek. "Are you blushing right now?"

She hides her face. Her voice is muffled. "No." She lied.

"Really?" He stood in front of her and put his face close to hers. "Then why are you hiding?"

"Who, me?" She played dumb, not realizing he's close to her yet. "I'm not hiding."

"I see you." He playfully patted the top of her head.

"No, you don't!" She giggled underneath her hands.

"Yes I do!" He grabbed her hands. "See?"

She noticed his face is close to hers. She started to blush more. He had a teasing smile. He poked her nose and laughed. "Tomato."

She blushed. "You tease! I thought you were going to kiss me again!"

"Maybe I will," Sans said as he drew close again. "Your lips taste better than ketchup anyway."

"S-Sans!" She squeezed her eyes shut from the massive blush on her face. He felt him kiss her intensely. She felt a rush of helplessness, yet passion. She started to feel like she was getting roasted by a fire as she was kissing back.

Only to realize passerbys started to giggle at them.

She backed up, commenting. "Sans! Not in public!"

She was getting shyer by public display of affection.

Sans laughed again. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry." He took her hand. "I'll continue this when we get home."

She was smiling and blushing. They were chatting and walking around. Getting ideas for their house in the future.

Chapter Text

At Azzy's house, Azzy had woken up before Noelle. He turned to look at her sleeping face and smiled. Then back at the alarm clock.

(I guess I should wake her up so she gets something to eat.) He put his paw on one of her arms, but felt that it was warmer than usual.

"Noelle?" No response. He could tell that she was alive though. He felt her head with the back of his paw. (She's burning up...)

It seems she is rather frail when it comes to stress. There was a lot of it the day prior. The fact she didn't eat all day until later. And crying didn't help any. Her immune system must have went down.

She was drenched in sweat. Her breathing felt a bit heavy and she coughed at times.

(This isn't good at all,) He thought. He remembered how she had told him about her dad. He had died from a terminal illness. That made Azzy worry even more.

"Hold on. I will be right back." He left the room and found a large bowl that he filled with lukewarm water. He grabbed a wash cloth and hurried back to the room, careful not to splash any of the water.

He didn't care that his bed got wet. His concern was helping her with her fever. He pulled the covers down and pressed the wash cloth against her forehead.

Her face felt a little relax more, due to the cloth on her forehead. She felt like someone was helping her. She still felt like she was in some type of desert. This fever was really high.

Yet she had no strength to wake up yet. Fatigue was hitting her hard.

"I will take care of you," he said. He was terrified of losing her. He couldn't let that happen. He wasn't very experienced in what to do, but he would definitely do his best to make her feel herself again.

"Az...zy...." Is all she could manage to say.

She couldn't speak anymore even if she wanted to. It was hard to with her throat feels like an inferno. It was making her feel a bit nauseous.

The rag on her forehead was already burning hot.

He grabbed her hand. "I will go get you some colder water to put on your head. Are you thirsty too? Squeeze my paw if so."

There was a weak yet hot feeling squeeze that came from her hand.

He quickly got up to get the things that she needed. Filling the bowl up with colder water and getting a bottle of water for her to drink.

He returned to the room and put the wash cloth on her head again. "Is that better?" He asked as he was opening the water bottle.

"Mm." Was her indicator of saying yes. It felt more relieving that it helped her feel less hot. Sometimes, she'd get a chill. Like hot and cold feeling at the same time.

Azzy put his paw under her chin to catch any water that was falling as he helped her to drink it. He kept wiping away any water that ran down her face. He put the bottle to the side when she was done.

He couldn't help but wonder if she had ever gotten sick like that before, or if that was the first time. He didn't ask though. (I just want her to be ok...)

As some time had passed, Noelle was starting to get unresponsive. Her fever was worsening. It was making Azzy's anxiety get high.

Azzy didn't leave her side, too worried for her health. He checked repeatedly every few seconds to make sure that she was still breathing.

His anxiety kept getting worse. What if she wasn't fine? What if her illness was too much for her body to fight off? Those thoughts caused him to get emotional. He was trying to fight back his tears. He grabbed her hand again and rubbed it with his thumb. He kept blaming himself that she had gotten like this. Maybe she wouldn’t have gotten sick if he didn’t put her into so much stress-

In her feverish state, Noelle pulled Azzy into her, making him super close to her by the way she was laying. That caught him off guard.

"N-Noelle?" He stuttered from being surprised. He didn't mind it though. Not one bit. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not making you too hot, am I? I love this, but I don't want to make you sicker..."

She was mumbling something. It seems she couldn't answer or realize what she's doing. If she did, she would probably get super shy. His ear was against her that he could hear her SOUL beat.

Being this close to her made him feel even more scared. But it also offered some comfort at the same time. He blushed and relaxed against her.

Without realizing, Azzy had fallen asleep. Time had passed and Noelle woke up. She was feeling a bit better. Much better. Yet, she realized something.

She saw her arms wrapped tightly around him. Not only that, he was snuggled on top of her. His ear was against her chest.

(AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!)

Internally screaming.

She started to become a stuttering mess. The sound of her flustered state and SOUL pounding woke him up.

"Wha-?" He noticed Noelle's voice. "Noelle!" He hugged her tightly. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like, I-I'm gonna d-die!" Her face steamed up due to him getting closer. The pounding worsened.

He sat up. "I'm sorry...wait, you didn't mean that literally right? You're going to be fine?" His voice was full of worry.

"I'm fine. I feel better now." She replied. Her face was an obvious red. She mumbled under her breath quietly and shyly. "Youdidn'thavetomoveaway."

He just barely made out her words. "I won't then." He laid down again with his arms around her, but with is face looking towards her.

She saw his eyes. They looked a bit worn. Her hand placed on his cheek. "Are you ok?"

"I was scared of losing you..." He felt at ease with her like that. "I'm ok now."

"Lose me?" She asked.

But that statement made her feel loved. But also felt bad. "I'm alright. I just had a super bad cold. I'm sorry for worrying you..."

"Has this ever happened before?" He asked. "I've never seen a cold get that bad."

"Well... umm..." She thought a moment. "My immune system goes down when I go through a lot of stress or I don't eat much. It's nothing serious."

"I guess this is my fault then." He sighed in confirmation. "Please, try to be careful. You mean everything to me."

"No." She shook her head. "I had the responsibility to take care of myself, but I didn't." She kissed his forehead. "Thank you for taking care of me."

(But I still made you stressed out. Cry terribly.) He thought. Instead of saying that, he smiled. "Of course. I will always take care of you."

"I'm sorry that I made this sleepover troublesome." She sighed. She was hoping to wake up with good morning kisses. The fact that they would have had breakfast together.

It bummed her a bit that he spent his time caring for her. She wonders what time it could be.

"Don't blame yourself. I had fun last night at least," he said with a smile. "Why don't you stay another night?"

"Y-you want me to stay again?" She blushed at that. Then she teased. "I don't think you want me to go home at all."

He looked down at the blankets and blushed. "Do you want to go home at all?"

He had a strong fear of getting married. What if something happened and he went insane again? It wasn't logical, but the fear wouldn't leave his mind. Having her spend the night made him see something different though. Maybe he was ready and he just didn't see it before.

"You probably noticed that I'm scared of getting married," He started nervously. "But...I think I can do it. After all, I think the threat is gone now. If you can trust me that much, then maybe I can too. So...will you marry me?"

Her expression was surprised. Happy. She couldn't really believe those words. Her SOUL pounded in a jubilant way. "I do trust you! With all of my being. There's no need to fear."

She sobbed happily. "My answer is yes!" She gave him a kiss.

His own eyes started to get teary. As soon as the kiss was over, he pulled her close in a hug. "You...really?"

"Yes!" She nodded a lot with her tears. "You're the best thing that has happened in my life. I always want to be with you!"

"I feel the same way about you," He said tearfully. "We...will actually get to be married. I was scared that wouldn't happen."

“I was also scared that you wouldn’t want to.” She admitted. “I really do.. um.. Ah.. Because then we…” She started to blush.

"I know," he said with a chuckle. "We will have a family."

"How do you do that?" She put her head underneath the blankets in embarrassment.

"You already said you wanted to, silly," he said.

"No! I meant, us as a family! I mean! Ah!" She blushed worse. "ButIdowantthattoo."

"Oh, right." He laughed. "Well ,they both sound like good ideas to me."

"You make it sound easy." She pouts. The thought of it makes her extremely flustered.

"It's ok." He grabbed one of her hands. "We will be fine. Now that we will be getting married!"

"I know." She giggled. "Um.... how many kids do you want?"

"However many you think we can handle," He said with a teasing smile. "Maybe four?"

"I'm glad." She sighed in relief. "I do want a lot so I'll settle with that."

"Speaking of which, Noelle..." He brought his face close to hers. "Why don't we try right now? We will be married anyway, so I don't see why not." His voice was lowered, and he had a smile on his face.

"I...I..." She stammered and gulped. Looking at his eyes. They were full of love and desire. Her face gotten blood red as she felt his hand caress her bottom lip with his thumb.

This....

Atmosphere!

"Is that a yes?" He asked. He laughed softly. "Your face looks so cute."

"I....!" She felt so shy. She wants to. Tempting.

No! Don't give into those smooth moves!

She's definitely not ready! She doesn't want to be pregnant in her wedding dress either. Plus, she would rather do so on their honeymoon.

"N-no!"

There was a pillow shoved into Azzy's face as she jumped out of bed. "I'm g-going to eat!!"

She ran out of the room.

Azzy felt a little embarrassed because of that. He can’t believe he almost did that! She was just so...ugh!

(Oh well. I'll get her on the honeymoon.) He thought with a sly, blushy smile.

..

A few days later at Ralsei and Kris's house.

Kris had already went into the room that she usually did to get changed, as Ralsei was still asleep in bed. His peaceful sleeping was disrupted by nightmares. Remembering how Kris had died. What Chara did to him. And then another memory that he had forgotten about due to his injuries...when he had been killed.

He woke up in the bed.

Nightmares weren't uncommon for him, but Kris never knew when he had one. He typically woke up during the night and had to calm himself down. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was real and what was a dream. This time though, it seemed to be morning. Kris wasn't beside him either.

The blankets around him smelled like Kris, and still had some of her warmth. He wrapped one around himself and went to the living room.

(She's probably in another room getting changed. I should just wait in here for her.) He sat down on the couch with the blanket around him tightly.

But what if she wasn't?

His breathing started to get quicker. (It's ok! She must be here, because the danger is gone now!) He tried to calm himself. (Breathe. I've done this before. I'm fine. Kris is fine.)

The more he tried to keep it together though, the more dark thoughts invaded his mind. He covered his face with the blanket as he started to cry. (Am I still dreaming?)

They were so clear sometimes that it was hard to tell. Sometimes in his dreams they would start out like a normal day, and then Chara would be back. Kris would get killed.

From where Kris was at in another room, she could hear his crying.

She wasn't finished changing due to her worrisome thoughts.

With just a t-shirt on, she stopped everything and ran over to him. "Ralsei!"

She saw him trembling and crying. "What's wrong?! Are you hurt??" She immediately crawled onto the bed and gently pulled the blanket off. Seeing him cry tore her apart as she placed her hands onto his face.

He could clearly remember going to the living room. So the fact that he was on the bed now scared him more. How could he tell what was real?

"W-where are we?" He asked in between sobs. "I was just in the living room...how did I get here? Is this r-real?"

"It's real, sweetie. It is." She placed her arms around him. "We're at home. Did you have a bad dream?"

"Yes...it feels like I'm still not awake." He tried to return her gesture, his arms shaking. "I'm sorry...I never told you before. This i-isn't the first time."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why... did you keep this from me?" Her hand pet the top of his head and ears. "I'm here now. You can talk about it when you're ready."

"You were always asleep when it happened. I didn't want to wake you..." He still couldn't stop crying. "It was about when Chara killed you, and then everything that happened after that. I remembered when I died."

"Everything's ok. I'm here." She wiped away his tears as she reassured him. "Next time that happens, please, wake me up if I'm near you."

She gave him a kiss on top of his nose before she held him closer.

"I'm still scared," he admitted. "What if I wake up, and this was all just a dream? What if..." He trailed off.

Not hesitating, she pulls him into a lengthy kiss.

Ralsei felt his senses fully awaken with the kiss. He backed up a bit. "That...felt real..." He used his sleeve to wipe his tears.

"That's because I am real." She smiled sincerely and lovingly towards him.

"How can we know for sure though?" He asked. "If this was a dream you would think that it was real."

"Test your limits then. To see if this is a dream or not." She challenged.

"...I'm afraid." He looked down. "I want to believe that this is real, but even in my dreams I'm always scared. I probably sound really rude right now too." He fumbled with his paws.

"Kris...I love you. I don't want to be scared." He had to wipe his eyes again. "I just can't stop feeling like none of this is even happening. What if one day we stop existing? We just disappear? And then it's like this whole time it was just in our heads. Our maybe even someone else's. Would we just be a memory then? Or would we be forgotten?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I usually don't think of such crazy things. It just popped into my mind."

"Ralsei." She caressed both of his fluffy cheeks. "Don't say stuff like that. I love you too. I want to make you feel better."

She feels a bit helpless right now. What should she do? All of that talk that he just done. It's like he lost touch with reality.

"What... do you want me to do? For you to believe me? I'm here. You. Me. We still exist." She held his paws in a soothing way.

"I don't know." He pulled one of his paws away gently and put it against his head. "My head feels funny...I don't know if I'm thinking straight. It worries me..."

Her heart aches. It hurts to see him like this. She looks down and feels terrible.

Just saying he doesn't know hurts her.

All she could do is hold him tightly. "It's the stress from the nightmare. Anxiety can do that to you..." Her voice shook a little bit.

"Oh..." His voice didn't have his usual enthusiasm to it. He sounded drained and a little sad. He was acting so different from his normal self. "Are you upset because of me? I shouldn't have said that..."

"I just want to do something. Yet, I can't..." She felt horrible. "I'm not a good wife..."

He rubbed his cheek against hers. "You're an amazing wife. You have helped me out a lot in the past without even realizing it. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I will be fine. It isn't your fault."

"Are you sure? I want to do more for you." She wasn't convinced.

"I want to let you help too..." He felt terrible. (It feels like I'm losing my mind...)

"I-if I sound crazy you can stop me," he said. "But would you always be here? Even if I-" He stopped as more tears fell. "Even if this keeps happening? What if I get worse?" He talked quickly due to his fear. "What if I can't handle this? Or if I can't tell what's real anymore ever again?"

"Ralsei." Her hands held onto his shoulders as she backed up to look at him. "We. All of us who remember, we know the pain. We can't erase it. Do you recall the struggle of survival? When I wanted to give up for being blind?"

It took Ralsei to help her through it all. Seeing him this way when things are peaceful. That he can't move passed it like she and others like Frisk and Sans could. Yet they dealt with the worse of it all.

"I couldn't tell whether I was sleeping or not at times. Being blind was hard for me!" She cried. "Yet, you talking like this makes me feel terrible. You gave me strength yet I cannot seem to do for you."

Even with trying for a child is a struggle. It's stuff like this is where it feels like...

"Let me in... "

It feels like a door is closed shut in her face.

"Fully trust me that everything and everyone's ok... we.. were happy to come back..." She held back anymore tears to come out. She wasn't really crying for herself, but for him. "We lived seven years through that nightmare and here we are. I thought it was over, but it isn't when I cannot seem to do anything. As long as you..." She desperately held onto his face to have him look at her. "Push me away unintentionally, you won't get better. I promise you I am real. The horror is over. I gotten past it, I know you can too. I just want you to be happy and to love you. To comfort you...."

There was a pause as recognition flashed in his eyes. "I'm so sorry!" He sobbed. "Compared to everyone else, I didn't even have it that bad. And here I am pushing you away and feeling sorry for myself over a nightmare!"

He looked down. "I don't understand why I'm like this! Why I can't move on! But I hate it...I don't want to do this to you..."

"I'm not saying it's not ok to be sad..." She sighed. "I just wish... I could be better for you..."

She was starting to doubt herself now. Will it always be like this? If she were someone else, would he cope better? Be happier?

Lately, she feels like she's drifting away from him. Their love was much stronger when it was a survival, until death had happened.

She feels a bit envious of Frisk and Sans. Even Noelle and Azzy. They're engaged and seemed to be doing better. She heard from Noelle he was already ready to try for a baby.

There was a strong hatred towards her feeling this jealousy. No matter how much she kisses and hugs him, she can't get through to him.

(Should I....act differently?)

Would that even matter? It feels like all their friends are moving forward, yet here she is failing.

Remaining stagnant. Even making Ralsei hurt worse with him crying still. All she could do was continue holding him.

"Don't say that!" He cried. "You're the best thing in my life! I don't want to ever lose you. That's...why I'm so scared..."

"You won't lose me! I'm here! Can't you feel me?" She held him closer. "I will protect you...!"

"I can feel you..." He finally returned her hug. "I always could."

He was still terrified. The fact that she kept trying to help him...it made him relax a little in her arms. (This is real...but even if it wasn't, at least it's a good dream now.)

Her hand rubbed against his back. She thought of something to lighten the mood.

She just realized she's only wearing a t-shirt still. She wanted to tease him with how flustered he gets. Even though they're married, she still changes in another room until he gets comfortable with her. Only because of the fact he's too shy to change in front of her. Still being patient, she has to respect that. At least she knows by now that he isn't exactly uncomfortable. Just uber shy.

"Oops. I didn't get changed all the way!" She randomly commented. "Sorry, I came in here without realizing until now."

"Huh?" His face turned red. "I didn't even realize!"

He had been so upset that he didn't pay attention to that. He sniffled and wiped his eyes again. He did feel awkward since they were really close like that. But he wasn't as shy as he was before. He was more comfortable.

"Should I... Finish getting dressed?" She teased, enjoying his red face.

"I-if you want to," he said.

"Or do you want me to stay here?" She laughed.

"Just...a little while longer. Unless you want to go get changed." His blush worsened.

With that, it made her flustered. She wasn't expecting that. "I-I'll stay here then."

(Am I actually getting shy?)

He continued to hold her close. "Sorry about that. I just don't want to let go yet."

"Don't be sorry. I-I'm actually happy you don't mind me this way." Her face blushed more. Ralsei can notice that her heart was pounding against him. Something a bit unusual for Kris since it takes a lot for her to be bashful.

"I don't want to let go either." She felt a smidge of happiness just to be near him like this.

"Kris...I have an idea that I want to try," He told her. "But I want it to be a surprise. Do you have somewhere that you can go for a while?"

"Oh?" She chuckled. "This is new, but I will go for you. I can't wait to see what you're planning."

"I can't wait for it either!" He said happily. "Where will you be going? I will go there when I'm ready getting things ready."

"I won't be far! Just taking a walk around the block." She smiled. It was a relief to see him in a better mood. She gives him a quick kiss before she gotten off of the bed. She went to put on some pants before she left. With that, she was out of the door after exchanging 'see you laters'.

Ralsei grabbed some money and went to a nearby store. (Alright. I just need to get what I need and head back.)

He found the stuff he needed for his plan and returned to the house, grabbing a pair of scissors and then heading to the bedroom. He looked towards the window. (I need to take care of that.) He picked up a black blanket and put it over the window, making the room go dark.

He then got to work with the supplies he picked up at the store. Once everything was finished, he examined the room. There were candles lit around the room. Rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed.

He took a deep breath. (I can do this. Kris is sweet, so I have no reason to be so nervous.)

Kris was wandering around the block. She had never ran into Ralsei or anything. She did take her time. There's so much curiosity dwelling inside her.

She was a bit excited to see what he was planning for her. A familiar voice had called for her. It was Ralsei's.

"Ready for me, dear?" She asked, smiling at the sight of him.

He nodded and took her hand. He started to walk in the direction of the house with her, getting a little flustered as they went. But also excited.

They made their way into the house, with Ralsei leading her to a closed bedroom. He had her close her eyes so she wouldn't see.

A sound of a door was opening and that prompted her to open her eyes.

Her expression changed to awe. A mixture of emotions. Her face started to feel hot. This setting... is super romantic. To set the mood. The candles were scented a jasmine aroma. It smelled so nice. Her heart started to thump.

She turned to him, in a happy, yet flustered expression. "It's beautiful! Ralsei, does this mean-"

"Yes," he said with a smile. "I'm ready now."

She felt Ralsei rubbing her shoulders. The way he looked at her was a bit timid, with a blush across his cheeks. It also made her flustered. His expression was more loving compared to what occurred the other time. Without any exchange of words, it led to him kissing her in a soft, yet passionate way. Both their hearts felt a rush as they headed towards their destination.

It was a fluffy and tender love. They both felt a great happiness and yearning as the lights dimmed.

....

It has been a few weeks, but Sans and Frisk had managed to find a home. They agreed to stay close to where Papyrus lived. In case he ever barges in, they do have Papyrus repellent locks. Plus, a doorbell. It was a cozy looking one story home. With a nice floor plan that is spacious. They don't plan on moving until they are married.

That's still in the process and she has yet to go wedding dress shopping. Kris already has hers picked out months ahead. Frisk decided to go with Noelle one of these days.

But right now, Frisk's main goal is to go shopping for Sans. She's prepping something special for his birthday.

While holding some bags on a successful shopping trip, she felt anticipation to get home. She done a lot of it in Waterfall since they merged with the Dark World's shopping area.

It feels a bit odd that he isn't by her side, but both were in agreement that it is time for her to do things like this.

Plus, it is safe, right?

Well....

Undyne was nearby watching. (There she is. That filthy human.)

No matter what, her hatred for humans still remained. The rule in place that protected them made her angry. She did feel bad for breaking the laws of her own people. Disobeying Asgore. However, she felt no remorse for wanting to kill humans.

As Frisk was walking, she was grabbed roughly. Before she had a chance to react she was being pulled away.

"U-Undyne!" Frisk gasped, as she dropped everything she had shopped for. "Wh-what are you doing?! Unhand me this instant! You're hurting me!"

"Shut up!" Undyne yelled. "You deserve to die for what you have done against monsters!"

"What are you talking about?!" Frisk felt upset being treated like this. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"All humans are the same. You all have the same disgusting issues whether you know it or not. It's programmed inside of you," Undyne spat. "I don't know what you plan on doing to Sans, but I can't let you get away with it! Plus, we just need one more soul to break the barrier! These others may be happy with staying trapped, but not me."

"I would never bring harm to Sans!" Frisk argued. "He's my fiancé! I love hi-"

A spear was aimed at Frisk's throat. "I don't want to hear your lies! You can't change my mind!"

Frisk gulped.

(It's ok. If you die, you can come back...)

It did make her uneasy thinking about a death reset. The fact that those who have memories, will realize it. They would have to repeat everything all over again.

(No. I can't...)

Frisk didn't want that. For the first time, she is actually afraid of dying. Not for her sake, but for everyone else's.

She tried to struggle from the spear, but it was no use.

Due to Frisk's struggling, her aim was off. The spear grazed Frisk's shoulder and caused a little bit of bleeding.

Frisk winced. It's been awhile since she's been hurt. It made her anxiety rise.

(I can't kill her here,) Undyne thought angrily. (Someone will see.) She grabbed part of Frisk's shirt. "We're going somewhere else."

"Stop!" Frisk shouted. But her yelling retracted with Undyne's hand covering her mouth. Muffling any source of her screaming to attract any attention.

Undyne dragged her to a building and took her to what looked like the basement, pushing her down the stairs mercilessly.

Frisk shrieked out in pain. It all happened so quickly. The pain extended her whole being. Some parts of her body formed bruises. Her crying was a bit breathless.

"I don't...want to...." Frisk kept sobbing in agony. "Don't want to....fight...."

"Then don't." Undyne summoned a spear and aimed it above Frisk's back. "I usually fight with honor, but what's the point anymore? I WILL kill you. And then your other human friend will be next."

"St..stop... please..." Frisk begged as she saw Undyne approaching her in a threatening manner. If she makes out of this alive, she must warn Kris as well.

(Sans....!) She kept thinking about her love. After everything they've been through, she might die.

She prayed with all of her heart that she could get out of this. But she's so weak.

(I'm sorry...)

Chapter Text

Frisk had been out for a while, and Sans was start to get worried. (Maybe I should go look for her...)

He stepped out of his house to start looking for her. As time went on, he started to begin to become panicked. Where is she? He talked to a few monsters along the way to ask if they had seen Frisk, and one of them had seen her and Undyne. Without wasting another moment he teleported to Undyne's house.

"Undyne!" He called out.

As he was walking, he looked around the house. The house was somewhat tidy other than a few strange looking books on the living room floor. He went to the basement door and knocked on it. "Are you in there?!"

No answer.

There was a sound of muffled yelling coming from down the stairs.

A faint sound of crying.

Within an instant, Frisk saw someone teleport in front of her.

It was Sans.

The sight of Frisk was the fact she had some deep blue and purple bruises on her legs and arms. Her shoulder was crimson red. Her eyes and face were moist with her tears.

Seeing her like that he felt an intense anger burn through him. He looked up at Undyne. His eyes started to glow. "What are you doing to her?!"

Undyne took a step back. "I don't want to kill you! Just get out of here and don't tell anyone what you saw!"

"But you're hurting Frisk! You aren't going to get out of this one!" He argued. His fists were shaking. Seeing Frisk like that made his anger strong.

Frisk was too weak to speak. She felt a bit faint, causing her to collapse onto the ground.

"Fine then," she aimed a spear at him. "I'm sorry for this."

She was expecting him to be killed instantly, but it didn't work out that way.

A bone knocked the spear out of the way effortlessly. "It looks like you want a mad time." Sans’s eyes both glowed in a threatening manner. Undyne’s eyes widened.

A bunch of bones went towards her to where there was no room to escape. She was hurt. Sans could see the anger yet fear on her face as she started to run.

He wanted to chase after her, but he had other concerns. He went over to Frisk. "Frisk!"

Frisk didn't respond, but she was still breathing. It was hard for her to open her eyes.

Sans put his hands on her back and used his magic to heal her. Then he pulled her close. "Are you ok?"

She couldn't answer him at first. She just kept crying as she clung against him. His hand went upon her cheeks.

When she finally managed to answer, her voice was full of mixture of emotions. From the fear of death to the happiness she was saved by him. "I am, thanks to you."

"She will never get near you ever again," he promised angrily. "I will make sure of that."

She buried her face into his chest in a comforting manner. "I cannot believe Undyne... She... was trying so hard to kill me..."

Frisk explained everything that had happened. From birthday shopping, to Undyne roughly taking her and throwing her down the stairs. To think, they were once friends in one timeline, but that seems so long ago now...

"I'm sorry...I just wanted to get you nice things for you birthday and that's ruined too...."

"It's enough that you're alive," he said. "As long as you're safe is all that matters to me..."

The fact that Undyne really hurt Frisk like that meant she is a big threat. To think, they were finally having a peaceful life and this happened.

Still being inside her basement made Frisk uncomfortable and Sans couldn’t shake the intense anger.

He stood up and helped her up. "We should go...I don't want to stay here for long. No one messes with my woman.”

She nodded. She noticed also how upset and angry he looked as well.

She held onto him, readying for him to teleport them out of there.

He teleported them both back to their house. "Something has to be done about her," he said. "We can't have monsters like her running around!”

Sans's tone was a bit enraged, but who could blame him? His fiancée gotten severely hurt. Someone who he really and truly loves. No one wants to see such a terrible sight.

Frisk started to massage his back to calm his nerves. "Perhaps, we could talk to her?"

"Talking won't work with her! She's too stubborn!" He continued to get angrier. "It never worked in the past. Why would it work now?"

"Because I believe she's a good person..." She sighed. She didn't take offense to him yelling. He has every right to be acting this way.

Her saying that struck a nerve. (Always believing that someone can be a good person. How can anyone do that?)

Papyrus was like that too. Maybe to an even more extreme level than Frisk. He didn't understand it. "Papyrus..." He accidentally said out loud.

He got more stressed out by thinking that. He groaned and started to pace back and forth. "I don't know what to do."

"Sans." Seeing him that way, really troubled her.

She went over to him and grabbed his hands. "It'll be alright."

But she can tell by his concerned eyes, he wasn't convinced.

"How? I can't trust her enough to let you talk to her," His voice was shaking. "But I don't really want her to get killed or arrested either! Actually, I wouldn't mind if that happened to her...but do you know what that would do to Papyrus?"

"I...Well..." She looked down. Wishing death upon someone is a bit harsh. But jail.

"If... she were to go to prison, visitors are allowed to see those imprisoned." She placed her hands onto his cheeks. "I won't talk to her anymore if that makes you feel better. I want to respect your needs...and your concerns about me...”

He sighed. "I don't know...I really don't want you to talk to her, but..." He trailed off. He felt so conflicted. It irritated him.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way!" He exclaimed. "Things were looking up, and then this happens! I hate seeing you hurt like that!"

"I know. I feel the same way." She pulled him into an embrace. "You saved me... Again... Will it make you feel better that I won't go out alone? That I can have you with me?"

"I-I'm sorry. If I didn't go out by myself today then..." She had a guilty look. She hates worrying Sans. It hurts her.

"Frisk..." He tried to calm himself down. "I'm glad you were able to. Obviously I wish it didn't end the way it did, but the fact that you were able to go out alone makes me relieved. I want to go with you if it's ok with you, because I am worried. But what happened today wasn't your fault. It was hers."

"I am ok with it. I am nervous myself." She sadly said. "Plus, I want you near me after dealing with that today..."

"Lucky for you, I want to be near you too." He smiled sadly. "I will keep protecting you."

"I feel bad you have to protect me all the time..." She sighed. "I don't want to bring anymore heartache for you even though it isn't my fault... I still feel bad."

"Like I said, it wasn't your fault." He started to rub her back. "I will never understand why all these horrible things keep happening to such an amazing person. I do understand that I will be with you through it all."

"You're pretty amazing yourself." She looked up at him. "You're the man I really and truly love. I will be there through anything with you as well."

"I believe it." He smiled down at her. "You have been here no matter what. I'm impressed."

"And I always will be." She smiled in return. "Do you feel better?"

"A little. Thanks to you," he stated. “I should be the one asking you that. Are you alright?”
Frisk nodded. Some tears escaped her eyes. Sans sighed and wiped them away. “I’m sorry. I just love you so much. I hate seeing you hurt.” He sighed and didn’t let her speak. He kissed her forehead in a loving way and looked at her. “We still need to do something about this."

She thought a moment then she gotten an idea. Taking her phone out of her pocket, she realized that the screen is cracked.

"Oh no..." She frowned. It must have occurred due to her falling earlier. It was totally unusable.

"I will get you a new one." He pulled his own phone out of his pocket. "Want to use mine for now?"

"Thank you." She smiled in an apologetic way. "I have an idea."

As she was saying this, she was already texting. "I'll tell Azzy about Undyne breaking the new law. Asgore may do something about it. As for Kris, I need to warn her since Undyne's after her too."

"Right. Good idea." He nodded. He continued to stand beside her as she texted, still feeling a little on edge.

As Frisk finished texting, she didn't realize her hands were shaking. "Sent."

"It'll be ok." She's doing a poor job with hiding her own anxiety despite her smile on her face.

Taking back his phone, Sans grabbed her shaking hands. "It will," he repeated.

Doing that made Frisk's eyes tear up again. "Ah, sorry. I need to be strong..." She tried to stop crying, but it was no use.

"Frisk, I'm alright," he reassured her. "You don't have to be strong for me."

By saying that, she started to cry loudly.

He pulled her into another embrace. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You know that, right? I will do anything to keep you safe."

"I know." She sniffled and shook in his arms as she held onto him. "I just never want to reset ever again..."

Sans hadn't thought of that. If she did reset again, what would happen? Would things be different? Even if things were the same, it was always traumatic when it happened. Would they reach a point where they couldn't handle it anymore?

"I don't know where that came from..." He started. "But if you're scared of dying and needing to reset, I won't let it happen. You won't die on my watch."

"When Undyne was trying to kill me earlier," She responded in a teary tone, "I was scared of death. I thought of you and everyone else. I never want everything to repeat when we're all moving forward..."

"I understand," he said. "It was scary. We have to make sure that doesn't happen. But...I'm sure this is just another thing for us to face. We got past worse than this. We can do it."

He was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince her.

She nodded. "Right... We can."

Things are different this time. They have their love for each other. Friends who are aware and will also be helpful.

Frisk is too precious for Sans to lose. They're everything to each other.

"You are my strength." She held him tighter. "Thank you for that."

"Don't forget that we made each other strong." He reminded her. "It wasn't just me."

He's right. Without each other, they wouldn't have this strength.

"I love you, Sans." She was starting to feel better.

"And I love you." He took a step back so he could see her face, and he poked her nose. "Can I see your beautiful smile?"

She smiled. Not just an ordinary smile, but one that was filled with love. That kind of expression is for Sans only.

"How's this?"

"Perfect." He looked at her eyes as she smiled, and saw the way they changed. He felt a tingling in his SOUL.

"Since I can't get your gift," she started. "What would you like me to do for your birthday instead now?"

"A kiss is fine," He grinned. "I'm just so glad you're safe. That's all I need."

"A kiss?" She asked with a teasing grin. "Am I the gift then?"

"Yep." He stepped closer again with an arm around her.

That made Frisk blush. "Pshh." She rested her head onto his shoulder. "I'm not much of a present."

"You're better than any present." He had a sincere smile.

That made her feel happy. "You are too. I guess it'll be your birthday every day then." She laughed.

"You won't hear any complaints from me." He laughed with her. "That sounds like a good life."

"You're going to grow old if you age every day!" She joked.

"But I would still have you!" He said. "That's what matters."

"Pfft!" She chuckled. "I guess it'll have to be my birthday daily too. Since you're also a gift to me. I want to grow old with you."

"Sounds like a nice idea." He gave her shoulders a squeeze and kissed the side of her head. "Let's grow old together."

...

Noelle and Azzy's phones both went off. They peered at the text message to see what has occurred. It was Frisk, asking Azzy to report what happened to King Asgore.

"This is..." Noelle's face was full of concern.

"I will call him." Azzy put his paw on Noelle's shoulder to ease her worry. "He will handle this, don't worry."

Calling him was better. Things were still awkward with Asriel and Azzy a bit. After their engagement announcement, Asriel heard. Thanks to technology, Azzy can reach Asgore for this matter.

"I just cannot believe this is happening. Just when things are peaceful." She sighed. "Poor Frisk... And then Kris too."

"I know. Hopefully this will be resolved quickly." He pulled up Asgore's number on his phone. "Hold on a second while I call him."

Asgore was tending the flowers in his castle. Humming along with Asriel. There was a melody coming from his phone.

"Oh!" He exclaimed then noticed who was calling him. "It's Azzy."

"Azzy?" Asriel repeated in question. He would normally want to talk to whoever was on the phone with Asgore, but it felt a little awkward given the circumstances.

"Hello! How are you two lovebirds doing?!" Asgore answered the phone like that, not letting Azzy speak and making Asriel feel uncomfortable. "Did you pick out a wedding date yet?"

"Dad." Azzy’s voice was serious, ignoring the question. "Undyne almost killed Frisk. It sounds like she's going after Kris next."

"What?!" Asgore's voice made Asriel flinch. His face turned stern. "I will make sure of her arrest."

It pained Asgore hearing someone as honorable as Undyne to stoop this low. He sighed.

"Are you going to be alright?" Azzy asked. "I know it must be hard since you trained her for so long."

"It'll be alright." Asgore responded. "I will try to have a talk with her. I'll let you go now. If you find her, bring her to me. She can't escape."

"I will. I love you, dad. Goodbye." With that, he hung up.

Asriel walked in front of Asgore. "Is everything ok?"

"Undyne." Asgore rubbed his forehead due to his stress. "She's trying to kill the humans down here."

"I thought she was nice?" Asriel asked. "Why is she killing them?" His voice shook slightly.

"She thinks all humans are evil based on being trapped down here." Asgore sighed. "Not... all are bad..."

His adopted son comes to mind. Even some of the humans he had killed before... They were... innocent. That heavy guilt weighed onto his shoulders. It's no wonder Toriel left him. He can't blame her for being unforgiving.

"I want to make things right for once in my life." Asgore said quietly to himself.

Asriel didn't hear what he said, but Asgore was clearly upset. He remembered the stories he had heard. Toriel's side of the story, and then Asgore's. They were a bit different depending on who was telling the story. He believed that Asgore wasn't as bad at Toriel thought.

Asriel hugged him. "If you're thinking about those other humans, I believe you're a good person! You just did something not so good for a good reason!"

It seemed maybe Asriel listened more than what Asgore expected. It seemed he understood those emotions more than he expected too.

Asgore put a sad smile on and patted his back. What a good son he has. He feels blessed to have him and Azzy. A future daughter-in-law too.

"Thank you, son." Asgore lifted his head up and shouted to all the monsters in the castle. "We have a criminal at hand! We must put a stop to senseless violence!"

The monsters all shouted in agreement.

"Search for Undyne! The former captain of the royal guard!" He ordered. It feels strange to have order the disbanded royal guard again.

Asgore readies himself to search as well. (The Underground is a lot larger than it used to be. This may be a challenge.)

...

Knowing that she was considered a criminal by them now, Undyne decided to try to hide. She couldn't stay in her home. Anywhere near it would be swarming with guards.

(I'm doing this to free them,) she told herself. (Why can't they see that? These humans have kept us locked away for too long!)

In her mind, she was doing the right thing. She wanted to help those who she cared about. The reason she attacked Sans is because he was a threat. But now everyone knew anyway.

(Everyone knows...) She looked up at the fake sky above her. She was tired of seeing it. (I will be the one to bring justice. Even if everyone I care about sees it as a crime.)

...

A couple weeks have passed. The search for Undyne was hard. Frisk and Kris have been staying in their homes due to their safety.

Kris would often watch the news on tv for Undyne's capture. Even on the Undernet, there wasn't any good news.

Headlines kept showing Undyne's wanted poster. There also was a reward involved. Undyne is very strong and has the intelligence for being a former captain.

Kris sighed in aggravation. She hates to be stuck inside her house. She looks at Ralsei next to her, who is peacefully sleeping on the couch.

(I need to do something. Undyne won't come out unless a human is in sight.)

She started to write a note for Ralsei to reach for when he wakes up.

'My dear Ralsei,

No need to worry, you know how strong I am.

But I cannot sit here in this house. I must help the community find Undyne. I can't risk her going insane. She might even hurt someone of your own kind.

I will find her and talk to her. I can defend myself if it gets troublesome.

I'll call you since I have my phone on me.

I love you.

Kris.'

With that, she quietly places the folded note into Ralsei's paw. Kissing him on the forehead, she leaves the house while holding her sword and shield.

She doesn't know what to expect, but her dedication to protecting others and survival, she has to do something.

...

Deep into the Darkground, there was no one in sight. Kris had walked a good portion of miles to find this place. No wonder everyone is having trouble searching. There's so many new, undiscovered places to see.

There was a figure approaching Kris. She puts herself on guard as a spear bounces off of her shield.

"Undyne!" Kris shouted.

"Human! I was hoping to find you!" Undyne stepped out of the shadows. She looked tired and messy from constantly being on the move. Her hair was no longer in her usual ponytail, as it was down messily. It stuck to her face with sweat in some areas. She had bags under her eyes as well.

"Frisk and I aren't threats. Don't you understand that?" Kris questioned firmly.

"The fact that you're humans makes you threats!" She shot back. "What you did to us was unforgivable! We WILL reach the surface again with the help of a human SOUL!"

"No one wants that, but yourself!" Kris appealed. "Going to the surface, would you just make war with them? I haven't committed any casualties here. Yet you, Unydne, severely hurt an innocent person!"

"There's nothing innocent about a human!" Undyne yelled. "At the surface, I would do what I have to do!"

"You have wanted posters everywhere. The one who isn't innocent is YOU. Surrender yourself peacefully. I do not wish to bring harm." Kris delivered.

"I'm not listening to a filthy human." Undyne made a spear appear. "You will die today for the sake of us all! I will take your SOUL!"

"I will have to take you by force then." Kris deflected another spear.

There was a crazy amount of spears viciously attacking Kris. She took a good number on keeping up, until she felt something.

A huge urge to puke. It made her a bit wobbly.

Undyne took advantage of her weakness by attacking again even more brutally. She stopped for a moment to talk. She had a crazed smile. "Getting tired already?"

Kris felt a pain and strong fatigue spread out. She couldn't reply, but ended up puking onto the ground. The nausea didn't subside. It felt worse.

Taking the opportunity, Undyne was able to hit her with one of the spears. She laughed triumphantly.

Kris's armor did help decrease any deadly damage to her. Yet, she still yelled in pain.

(This is unusual of me! Why do I feel so weak?!)

She spat out some blood. Knowing that she needs to reach her husband, she trembled to get her phone out to quickly do emergency dial. Yet she wasn't fast enough.

Undyne's spear hit Kris's arm, causing her to drop the phone. "Nice try!" Undyne taunted.

The phone was thrown too far away from the impact for her to reach it. Wiping off some remnants of her barf, she glared up at Undyne. "You're the one who's disgusting."

Her whole body was in pain. Sore. She wanted to hurl again, but her stomach started to hurt severely.

"Really?" Undyne asked sarcastically. "I'm trying to serve justice. No matter what anyone else thinks."

"If you kill me, you would be sorry." Kris growled. "I have a lot of people who would go look for me."

"And what would they do?" Undyne asked. "I'm not afraid. I've gotten this far. I can easily kill you right now."

She aimed a spear for the unprotected area of Kris's neck, when there was a yelling heard from behind.

"Kris!"

Kris looked up at Ralsei. She feels apologetic for seeing her in this sorry state. About to speak, she couldn't help but barf again. There was a mixture of blood this time in it.

(I have to help her!) He thought. He cast heal prayer, but she still seemed to be sick. It just got rid of any wounds caused by Undyne.

"Get out of here!" Undyne ordered. "If you don't leave I'll kill you too!"

He shook his head. "I'm not leaving her!"

Kris felt angry, as she was weakly standing up. "I won't let you! How could you hurt others of your own kind?!"

She goes to try to restrain Undyne, but she couldn't. That nausea was too much for her. She felt really unwell. "Ugh...."

Undyne effortlessly pushed Kris away and onto the ground. Ralsei ran towards Kris to help her, but had one of his ears cut by a spear. He winced in pain and put a paw to his ear.

(He will just keep healing her. I need to make sure he dies,) Undyne thought. "You're really in my way."

(Good. Focus on me.) Ralsei was trembling, but he didn't move. He shot a glance at Kris, hoping that she would understand what he was thinking somehow. (We can't do this alone. Get help while she's distracted.)

The phone was out of reach. Kris tried to head for it, but the excessive nausea was hindering her a lot. She tried with all of her might to make a run for it but she collapsed. She felt really sick. Her head was pounding as she couldn't move again from the feeling of throwing up.

(I need to call Noelle! Frisk!)

But it was no use. No matter how hard she tried to move, she felt too hindered by her sickness.

His fear intensified when he saw that she couldn't run away. He tried to reach for the phone too, but then felt a sharp pain in one of his arms. He yelled out in pain and fell to the ground. He had been hit again.

Undyne used that as an opportunity to attack Kris. It looked like things were going in her favor.

"No!" Kris couldn't focus and cried out to Ralsei.

With being hit by the spear, it knocked out Kris. She couldn't seem to handle the stress of the fight anymore.

The phone was so close to Ralsei. He reached out, and was able to grab it. He saw Noelle's number and hit the call button.

His arm went limp, and he dropped the phone. He could only hope that Noelle would pick up and hear that something was wrong. He couldn't heal himself either. With the spear still inside of his arm, it would do more harm than good. He wouldn't be able to pull it out himself.

He looked back and saw that Kris was unconscious. He cast his heal prayer again, but that made him weaker. His eyes were starting to feel heavy. He couldn't tell if Noelle had answered the phone, but he cried out for help. Maybe someone would hear him.

Chapter Text

Noelle was cuddling Azzy on the couch. They were marathoning Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. She noticed her phone was ringing. It was Kris's number?

"Hello?" She answered into her phone.

Ralsei's panicked voice was heard over the phone. "We need help! Please!" She could hear him crying on the other end.

"What's wrong?!" Noelle sprung off the couch. "Where are you-"

Her voice was interrupted as there was a cry of pain. Ralsei squeezed his eyes shut. The pain was too intense. He wished that he would just pass out and not have to feel anything. "It's Undyne! She-" His voice was cut off as he felt a hand cover his mouth.

His SOUL was pounding. (I'm going to die...)

Azzy walked over to Noelle with a concerned expression. He couldn't hear what was going on, but it didn't sound good.

The call ended abruptly.

She was rapidly texting Sans an emergency text. She knew they needed all the help they could get if Ralsei's having trouble with her. What happened to Kris?!

Noelle's in tears. "Azzy! We need to go! Ralsei and Kris...! I... Undyne's there!" Her voice is frantic.

He nodded and grabbed her hand. He was scared for their safety, but he would stay strong for Noelle. "I will call dad on the way there."

...

Sans and Frisk were cuddling on the couch when he heard his phone go off. He reached over and grabbed it while staying close to Frisk. His face suddenly got serious. "Frisk...Ralsei and Kris are in danger."

"What?!" Frisk exclaimed. "We have to help them!"

He seemed hesitant. "It's Undyne. Are you sure you want to come?"

"I figured... I mean..." She looked down. "If you want me to stay here, I will. I don't know if I would be much help, honestly... but... I want to be there with you. I know it's irrational."

He was worried of her getting hurt if she went along. But he couldn't say no to her like that. "I want you to come. I’m just worried." He stood up. "I don't know how bad it is, but it sounds like there could be immediate danger. I can teleport us there now."

"Do you know where they are?" Frisk held onto him, preparing for him to teleport. "I'll stay close to you."

"No. I will take us to their house and we can look from there." Since he didn't actually know what their house looked like, it was hard to try to teleport there. He would always have to imagine the place in his mind. This time, instead of a place he just imagined Ralsei and Kris.

When they had teleported, it took them straight to where they were at. That had never transpired before. Before anyone could say anything Sans saw what was happening.

Kris was unconscious, but didn't look badly injured. He noticed that she had gotten sick. Ralsei was awake, but just barely. He had a potentially fatal injury to his arm with the spear still there. Undyne was holding his head still and had another spear about to go into his head. That would kill him for sure.

Sans immediately had his eyes glow as bones summoned at a craze rate that caused Undyne to get knocked away from him. Her spear fell to the ground.

Frisk clung closely to Sans. Seeing them like that really pained her. She wanted to run over to them and help them. She knew better so she stayed put.

Suddenly, a barrier formed around them all, making it impossible for Undyne to break into it.

"Noelle!" Frisk noticed her. Noelle had a determined and angry looked on her face. She was next to Azzy.

"You won't get away with this, Undyne!" Noelle shouted through her tears.

Undyne looked like she had been hit by a bomb. "I know," she said angrily. "They're on their way right now to arrest me, aren't they?" She made no move to run away. Undyne definitely was outnumbered by pretty strong willed people. She was no match.

Azzy restrained Undyne, who seemed to have given up. She was tired of running. She looked a little guilty, as though the weight of her actions had suddenly come to her.

Sans went to Ralsei who was trembling. He hadn't passed out from his wounds by some miracle. Sans grabbed the spear and tried to pull it out of his arm. Understandably, Ralsei tried to move away but was unable to.

"I'm trying to help ya," Sans said. He gave it a final hard pull and saw Ralsei gasp as more blood spilled out.

Since he seemed pretty weak Sans used his own magic to heal him all the way.

"Th-thank you," Ralsei stuttered. He rubbed his arm where the injury had been. He looked over at Kris.

"Kris!" Ralse exclaimed. He hurried over to her and lifted her head onto his lap. "Kris, are you alright?! Please wake up!" He yelled through his tears.

Kris slowly opened her eyes. She sprung up, touching his face. "Is everything ok?!"

Not realizing everyone is around her, she notices. "Ah."

She sighed in relief seeing Undyne restrained. Asgore was in the far distance, heading their way.

All of a sudden, she held her mouth again from the nausea. "Erk..."

"Oh no..." Ralsei moved out of the way and pulled her hair back in case she needed to throw up again.

While that was happening, Asgore stepped in front of Undyne, who wasn't looking up. "Undyne. Unfortunately, I have to put you away in prison. You defied my orders. I am highly disappointed..."

She still didn't look up or make any attempt to meet his eyes. "I know," was all she could muster.

She still wanted to kill the humans. Yet she regretted what she did to Ralsei. What she tried to do to Sans. The thought of going to prison made her miserable. She couldn't help but wonder if she would spend the rest of her life there. She didn't dare ask.

Noelle dropped the barrier around everyone since it seemed to be safe now.

Asgore looked at Azzy as he took Undyne from him. "Good work, everyone." Then he looked at Undyne. "You should apologize to these humans. They've been good friends of mine. It breaks my SOUL you would do this."

Undyne growled at that. "Sorry," she forced out.

She didn't sound sorry.

Asgore shook his head. "We'll work on that." He looked sadly towards everyone. "You all may go home now." With that, he walked away from everyone with Undyne.

Frisk and Noelle went over to Kris. They were worried with her throwing up.

"Are you sick?" Noelle asked innocently.

"I don't know. I feel super nauseous and I have cramps." Kris panted, trying to brush the sick feeling off.

Frisk saw the throw up in random places. She realized something. "Did you guys... Wait??"

Kris would sometimes vent to Frisk and Noelle with her problems with Ralsei with wanting a baby. But these were obvious signs.

"It happened?!" Frisk exclaimed. That made Ralsei’s face turn red.

"What? What?" Noelle asked in confusion as she noticed Azzy and Sans were also coming towards them to join in the conversation.

Kris started to blush, getting the hint from Frisk. Noelle realized it too.

"Could you be pregnant?" Noelle asked.

Ralsei's eyes lit up. "I hope that's it! Do you want to get a test done?"

"Yeah." Kris nodded.

"You went out this way towards Undyne? What were you thinking?" Noelle nagged.

"I didn't have symptoms until the fight." Kris felt a bit scared now. "I coughed up blood earlier... Could... if I am... the baby...?"

She's starting to mood swing and get emotional.

Ralsei rubbed her back and looked to the others. He looked worried too. "Does anyone know if there's a hospital nearby?"

"Us monsters from the underground don't really have those," Azzy pointed out. "I wish we did." He subtly looked at Noelle. "I think there may be some monsters with human health knowledge. I'm not exactly one of them."

Noelle stared at Azzy a bit. Until she realized that he meant HER. "Oh!" She laughed nervously.

"The first thing we must rule out is if you're actually pregnant. I recommend you to get a pregnancy test done." Noelle commented.

"I can possibly help too." Frisk added to the conversation. "All I know is if you're bleeding too much, you have miscarried. If you aren't then you should be fine." She looked at Sans and whispered. "I want to go with them to give my support. She may need it."

Sans nodded, but felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of going with them. He would for Frisk's sake if he needed to. "That's ok. I guess I will come too. Unless you think you're fine?"

"Saaaannss." Frisk gave him that look, like she can tell how he's feeling. She teased a bit. "You're not uncomfortable, are you?"

"Maybe," he grumbled.

Frisk grew closer to him. "You don't have to go with me if you don't need to. Plus, one day...."

That would be her too. She withdrawn saying that, making Sans tilt his head in question. The thought made her blush, but also kind of scared. There's no form of gynecology down here.

No ultrasounds.

It made her wonder how monsters adapted to that lifestyle.

Then again, many decades ago, humans used to not have that technology either. If they were fine, Kris could be fine too.

Ralsei helped Kris to stand up. "Are you going to be alright? I can carry you if you need me to."

"I may need carrying." Kris held her head. Her headache was bad.

"You don't have to come with us either. Let us women handle it." Noelle looked towards Azzy.

"Perhaps you guys could spend some quality friendship time together." Frisk giggled to Sans.

"I guess," Sans and Azzy said in unison. They both chuckled nervously.

Ralsei lifted Kris so that he was holding her in his arms. He was scared of losing the baby if there was one. But also, he was excited thinking about the possibility of starting a family.

Frisk kissed Sans goodbye. So does Noelle with Azzy. The girls and Ralsei had walked away. Leaving Sans and Azzy behind.

"Uhh..." Sans was awkwardly standing there. He knew why everyone wanted them to be friends, but he dreaded that conversation. How would he start it anyway?

"So, how have you been doing?" Azzy asked.

"A lot better. Frisk has helped me out a lot." Sans blushed as he thought about her. She had really helped him get through his guilt. He still felt it, but he wasn't nearly as hard on himself anymore.

Azzy smiled at that. "The same thing happened with me and Noelle. It helps a lot to have someone believe that you can change. Even when you don't believe in your own ability."

"Heh. That sounds right."

Talk about others believing that someone can change. Sans had noticed it a lot. It was something he could never wrap his head around. How do some people find it so easy to forgive?

"How do some people love those who hurt them?" Sans accidentally asked out loud. He looked at Azzy when he realized what he had said.

Azzy thought about that for a minute. Let it sink in. "In our situation...it wasn't our fault that we ended up hurting them. We were infected by the virus."

Sans shook his head. "I hurt others before that. She didn't seem to care about that somehow."

"Because it was in the past," Azzy said. "People change. Just when you think everything will stay the same. It's how life is. They can change for better or for worse. Undyne is an example of someone who changed for the worse. That doesn't mean she can't go back to good. You on the other hand...you changed for better. Frisk knows you're a good person."

"How does she know that?"

"Maybe she knows you better than you know yourself," Azzy replied. "That's what seems to happen. I know that I had a huge bias against myself, so I couldn't see the good there. Sometimes it takes another person."

Sans smiled and nodded. "You might be right about that."

..

Pregnancy tests are rather.... Odd and easy in the Underground sense. The Dark World's monsters didn't seem to have that type of knowledge.

However, the Underground's version was rather quick. Their pregnancy tests are as simple as one of those forehead thermometers. Except, it was multipurpose.

Not only can it show your temperature, it can tell whether you are pregnant or not. The restriction of it is that it only works once. The information about it is that it works on some sort of magic.

Although, it beats peeing on a stick any day, they had that type of test too. But, Kris wanted to try this test out instead of being old fashioned. Plus, the best results for the stick is to use it when you wake up in the morning. She feels too sick to use that test anyway.

Before Kris had taken the test, the girls and Ralsei helped her clean up and get changed. Thankfully, she wasn't bleeding.

Originally, Kris wanted their pregnancy announcement to happen after the public ceremony. But some things have to change due to circumstances

Holding the forehead pregnancy test, she was nervous. And excited. Everyone's hearts were pounding in anticipation.

"Here goes..." She placed it on her forehead. Within just a second, there was a twinkle sound coming from it.

Kris takes a look and her eyes widened.

'PREGNANT'

Her eyes watered, looking at Ralsei. "We're having a baby!!"

"We are?!" He almost immediately felt happy tears start to form. He hugged her belly. "Our baby! I can't wait to meet them!" He said happily.

"We'll research if there's anything like that down here." Frisk presented.

"Congratulations, you two!" Noelle chimed. "We'll give you any information we find. We'll be leaving now."

"You two better hurry up and get married already. I want our kids to be near the same ages together!" Kris teased, making Frisk and Noelle blush. That made them leave quickly.

"I wonder if they'll be a boy or girl." Kris chuckled as she pet Ralsei's head. "I guess we'll be surprised."

"Me too!" He agreed. "I will be happy either way!" He gave her stomach a kiss that made her giggle.

"I'm sorry that I went alone without you, earlier." Kris sighed. "I never would have put our baby at risk like that if I had known."

"I know." He looked up at her. "You were in danger too though. I know that you're strong, but I want to be there to help you whenever I can. Even if I don't end up helping that much."

"I know." Kris started to grumble. "I would have captured her if I wasn't hurling my brains out earlier. I should have known since we've been trying a lot. It was irresponsible of me to not think of doing a test earlier." She admitted.

"It's alright now. We're safe." He rested his head against her. "Kris?"

"Hm?" Kris hummed in question.

She felt him tense up. "Never mind." He had a sad smile. "How do you feel now?"

"I'm not as nauseous as before," Kris replied. "But I am tired. My head hurts. What were you wanting to say?"

"It's not important," he said. "Do you need to rest to make your head feel better?"

"I think I need some water." Kris rubbed her temples. "And don't say that. Anything you have on your mind is important to me."

"I...will get you some water." He got up and returned with a glass of water that he handed to her. He laid down with her again.

His eyes had a glazed look to them. (Something doesn't feel right...) He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. (Something ISN'T right...What is going on?)

Kris was sipping water. She isn't ignorant to not know there's something wrong the way Ralsei is acting. When she was blind, she can often feel Ralsei's emotions. Now, not only can she feel it, she can see it.

"Sweetie, are you worried about the baby?" She assumed. "I'm sorry I put them at risk..."

"I don't know if that's it..." He mumbled. "Something feels really wrong. I hope they're alright..."

Because of mood swings is a common thing in pregnancy, Kris felt two times the emotions now.

"I knew it." She started to cry. "I did the wroooonnngg thiiinnnng! Wahhhh!!!"

"N-no! Kris, it's ok!" He held her tighter. "You didn't know that you were pregnant. I love you. Please, don't be so hard on yourself."

"I love you too." She sniffled and cuddled him. Then added randomly. "I'm craving pickles and peanut butter."

Weird food cravings. Also a side effect to pregnancy.

"We can go get some later," he told her, not even questioning it. "You can have all the pickles and peanut butter you want."

"But... I kind of want it now." She said awkwardly. "I can't explain it. It's like a heavy need for it." She chuckled.

"Oh! I can go and get it for you now though!" He sat up. "You can stay here and rest."

Kris nodded as she lied down to defeat this horrid headache. She couldn't nap due to the extreme craving.

It's odd, but she doesn't like pickles. Yet, she wants it.

...

Papyrus noticed Frisk and Sans weren't home. He assumed they were both being lazy somewhere. The tv was on and the news report of Undyne's capture had appeared.

Little did Sans know, Papyrus did eavesdrop on his and Frisk's conversation once. He heard the dread in Sans's voice. How he's worried how Papyrus would be effected if Undyne went to jail.

For his brother's sake, Papyrus acted like he hasn't known anything. Plus, it seems Sans is in worst mental state than Papyrus is. Papyrus didn't realize how much Sans had really considered his feelings. It has been odd since that day he hugged and cried just seeing him. It did puzzle Papyrus, but it made him gain more respect for Sans.

Even though he can be lazy at times.

Papyrus always likes to see a brighter side in things. He decided to go visit Undyne in jail with a plate of spaghetti in one hand.

Undyne heard one of the guards announce that she had a visitor. Surprised, she looked up to see who it was. "Papyrus!" She felt embarrassed for him seeing her like that. He had looked up to her so much at one point.

"YES, IT IS I!" Papyrus happily shouted. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AND MY NEW AND IMPROVED, SPAGHETTI!"

The spaghetti actually looked edible, but he couldn't hand it to her due to the bars.

"IT'S ALRIGHT! EVEN THOUGH THESE BARS CAN STOP THIS PLATE, I, PAPYRUS WILL FEED YOU SO YOU CAN TASTE THIS GREATNESS." He takes the fork, twirls the noodles and offers her a bit with it.

She took a bite of the spaghetti. "That's pretty good!" She told him. "I wish I could enjoy it normally. And...spend time with you normally." She looked down.

Everything that had happened really changed her. How she saw herself and how she saw the world. Never in a million years did Papyrus expect to see her act like that.

"OF COURSE, IT'S AMAZING!" Papyrus boasted. "MY FUTURE SISTER-IN-LAW SHOWN ME THE SECRET TO PASTA. FOR A HUMAN, SHE IS GREAT FOR SANS! SHE MADE HIM PICK UP HIS SOCKS!"

"She did?" Undyne asked. "I didn't think that was possible."

"HUMANS AREN'T SO BAD!" Papyrus exclaimed. "JUST LIKE YOU! YOU AREN'T BAD EITHER! I AM SURE ONCE YOU GET OUT OF HERE, YOU CAN BECOME FRIENDS WITH FRISK!"

"I don't know, Papyrus," she said. "I don't think I will be able to do much of anything."

"WHY NOT?" Papyrus asked. "YOU HAVE TO BE THERE FOR SANS'S WEDDING!"

Sans.

He...

Probably hated her. She almost killed his future wife. The amount of power and anger he had towards her was shocking. Did Papyrus even know what happened?

"I don't think I will be out of here for that." She had a guilty expression. "I'm sorry."

"DON'T DOUBT YOURSELF!" Papyrus reassured, oblivious to such things. "AS LONG AS YOU SHOW KING ASGORE YOU'RE GOOD, HE'S BOUND TO LET YOU FREE TO COME!"

"I don't think it works that way. This...is a punishment for what I did. I don't know if I will ever get to leave." She longed to feel his hug again. He would typically hug her whenever she was upset, but those bars were in the way. "Can you come closer?"

"ANYTHING FOR YOU!" Papyrus beamed as he went closer to the bars.

She put her hand in his. "Thank you. You're really sweet."

"YES, I AM!" Papyrus didn't realize that he was slightly blushing. He couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of Undyne's hand.

She thought that the fact that he was blushing was adorable. However, it did make her feel bad. (The two of us shouldn't be anything more than friends. Maybe not even that. He's too innocent.)

But she didn't let go of his hand.

"Will you come to visit a lot?" She asked. "We were a pretty sweet duo before all of this happened!"

"I WILL COME EVERY DAY!" Papyrus smiled widely. "I WILL EVEN READ YOU BED TIME STORIES!!"

She laughed. "That sounds great. I look forward to it. It will be the best part of my day."

"FRISK'S OTHER HUMAN FRIEND," Papyrus changed the topic. "DID YOU KNOW SHE'S GOING TO HAVE A BABY?! FRISK TOLD ME ABOUT HOW BUSY SHE WILL GET HELPING HER DELIVER THE BABY! BUT I DON'T THINK YOU COULD MAIL BABIES..."

Undyne swallowed hard. She felt a pang of guilt. "Human monster babies?" She mumbled. Her emotions were conflicting. "Are they...ok? Her and the baby and her husband?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Papyrus laughed. "THEY'RE FINE! I'M JUST WORRIED FOR THE BABY BEING PUT INTO A MAILBOX!"

That made Undyne laugh too. "I don't think that's what they meant. They don't actually put babies in mailboxes." She eyed the plate of spaghetti in his hand. "Can I finish eating that?"

"YES!" Papyrus continued to help feed Undyne. "WHAT DO THEY DO THEN?" He asked so innocently.

"Why don't you ask Sans?" She suggested. "He would love to explain it to you."

"THAT IS A FANTASTIC IDEA!" Feeding Undyne like this made him feel a bit strange. His SOUL felt weird. Face felt warm after she took the last bit. "W-WELL, I AM GOING TO GO NOW!"

"Aww, really?" She asked, disappointed. "Will you be back later for that bed time story?"

That look on his face hurt her. She wanted to do more, but didn't. She didn't want to do that to him. Getting close to someone like that who was in jail could be painful for him.

"DO YOU NEED ME TO STAY?" Papyrus asked. "I CAN LEAVE AFTER THE BED TIME STORY!!"

"I don't really need you to..." She trailed off. "But I really want you to. I wish I could go home with you." She started to sweat nervously. "Ignore what I just said."

"I CAN'T IGNORE IT BECAUSE I HEARD IT ALREADY." Papyrus chuckled. "I WISH YOU COULD TOO!"

Not realizing what she really meant by that. He truly was too innocent.

"I WILL STAY SINCE YOU WANT ME TO!"

She smiled warmly. "Thank you." She took his hand again and sat down, pulling him down too on the other side of the bars. "Your spaghetti was a whole lot better than the awful food here. Do you think you could make some more again sometime for me?"

"YES!" Papyrus shouted in glee. "I CAN MAKE OTHER FOODS NOW TOO! I AM MASTERING EVERY PASTA DISH NOW!"

"That's great!" She said. "Don't burn any houses down without me!"

"THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING LESS OFTEN NOW!" Papyrus replied in enthusiasm. "ACTUALLY, NOT AT ALL! AM I A SUPREME CHEF NOW?!"

He gasped in a happy state. He felt his shoulder brush against Undyne's. For some reason, he didn't want to move away.

His happiness made her happy too. She relaxed against his shoulder. "Yeah, you are!" She exclaimed. "You're the best dang chef I've ever met!"

"R-RIGHT!" Papyrus started to blush a bit more. Feeling her warmth makes him feel the need to be closer to her.

It's an odd feeling. He doesn't understand it.

"Papyrus..." She interlocked her fingers with his. "Sometime, do you think that you can ask Asgore how long I will be here? I still haven't gotten a straight answer. I want to know when we can spend time together like we used to."

Her doing that made his SOUL thump for a moment. Then he smiled. "YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND? I WILL DEFINITELY DO THAT FOR YOU! NYEHEHEHEH!"

It's strange that she was against the idea earlier, but seeing her change her mood made him extremely ecstatic.

"I just want to know so we can hang out more," she said with a sad smile. "Why are you so excited?"

"BECAUSE," He looked at her. "YOU AREN'T GIVING UP TO SHOW THAT YOU ARE GOOD!"

It made her SOUL feel warm when he said that. "You...seriously believe that? But I almost killed someone you care about!" She sighed. "I don't understand you."

"YOU HAD A REASON TO! EVEN IF IT WASN'T A GOOD ONE!" He replied. "I BELIEVE YOU HAD THE RIGHT INTENTIONS! WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES SOMETIMES!"

"I made a pretty big one..." Due to feeling frustrated, she wanted to lean her head back on the bars. She missed and put her head on Papyrus instead.

Papyrus flinched in surprise but enjoyed the feeling. He coughed awkwardly and said, "TIME FOR YOUR BEDTIME STORY TO CHEER YOU UP?"

"I AM a little tired," she admitted. "You can go ahead if you're ready."

Papyrus told a long bed time story about spaghetti coming to life. It was a strange tale that had suspense and drama between spaghetti and meatballs. Undyne would laugh until she fell asleep against him. Papyrus couldn't seem to move just yet. He subtly pet the top of her head, making his blush deepen.

Chapter Text

"SANS!" Papyrus shouted. "I HAVE AN IMPORTANT QUESTION!"

Sans opened the door. It was late at night, so he was in his pajamas about to go to bed. "What are you doing out so late?" He yawned. "It must be pretty important."

Frisk woke up from Papyrus's voice. She's a bit cranky from being woken up. Once she gets a place with Sans, they won't have to worry about awakenings like this.

"UNDYNE TOLD ME TO ASK YOU THIS!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I THOUGHT DELIVERING BABIES WAS THROUGH MAIL, BUT I WAS WRONG! HOW IS A BABY DELIVERED?!"

Sans's eyes widened. "She did?" He nervously tried to think of an answer. "Uhh...babies are a little too big to put them in the mail. You could almost say that question is...the elephant in the womb!" Sans winked.

"KRIS ISN'T AN ELEPHANT!" Papyrus huffs "SANNNNSSSS!!! YOU DID IT AGAIN!"

"I didn't say Kris was an elephant!" Sans said with a laugh. "The womb is what the baby lives in until they're born! That makes it a good opportunity for a pun."

"WHAT IS A WOMB? HOW ARE THEY EVEN DELIVERED?!" Papyrus groaned in confusion.

"A womb is kind of like...a sleeping bag for the baby while it grows!" He found Papyrus's reactions entertaining. "Which means that the baby is in Kris's stomach until they're big enough to come out."

Papyrus groans. "I GIVE UP! BABIES IN BELLIES MAKE NO SENSE! IT'S LIKE SHE ATE THEM!"

Frisk kept snickering at this point.

"WHEN WILL YOU GUYS HAVE A BABY?!" Papyrus doesn't realize how awkward that question is. "I WANT TO BE AN UNCLE! NYEHEHEH!"

Frisk buried her flustered head underneath the pillow, leaving that up to Sans to answer.

"That's a personal question, Paps." Sans covered his face with his hoodie. "We will when we decide the time is right."

"I SEE." Papyrus decided to stop. Asking led him nowhere. "I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DAY! GOOD NIGHT!" He ran off and slammed the door to his bedroom.

Frisk didn't move at all still as Sans was heading back to bed.

He crawled into the bed beside her. "Frisk, are you blushing?"

Frisk was making flustered noises from underneath her pillow. She had malfunctioned.

"Heheh. Cute." Sans grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Well, I'm going to sleep."

"Ok." Frisk is wide awake now. Her thoughts are everywhere.

Ugh. Sleep already...

"Are you going to sleep too?" He asked.

"Trying to." She nervously giggled.

"Oh. Sorry." He chuckled and closed his eyes.

"You're not keeping me up." She commented. "I just can't seem to sleep now, is all."

He looked at her again. "What's the matter?"

Papyrus caught them both off guard with the kids topic. Thinking about that kind of stuff makes Frisk nervous, but also shy. Nervous because of the technology down here. It kind of scares her a bit with the lack of resources compared to the surface. She has mixed feelings. Yet, she does want to have one as well. She hopes she doesn't have terrible morning sickness like Kris has.

More so, her shyness overtook her. "It's ok. I-it's nothing."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "It doesn't sound like nothing."

Usually, Sans would tease her how red her face is. Due to the darkness of the bedroom, her face couldn't be seen. Not only that, her expression kind of conflicts with her flusteredness. There was a hint of worry.

"It's about what Papyrus asked." Her voice trailed off. Her shyness was taking over. "Ah! Talking about this is hard!" Her voice sounded flustered.

Sans's own face turned blue. "Do you...want to have a baby at some point?"

"Um... yes. Do you?" She asked.

He nodded. "That would be nice...to start a family. Think about how amazing it would be to raise a kid." The thought made him smile.

"Yeah..." She agreed and then added. "But I am a little afraid. Compared to the surface, I'm not sure how pregnancies are supported down here. I started thinking about it with Kris. I hope I don't do anything wrong. I also hope we could be ok too in the future."

"Why wouldn't we be?" He questioned. "The danger is gone now. Everyone else is fine with us being together."

"It's not the danger." Frisk took his hands. "Humans... We can be fragile when it comes to bringing life. Sometimes, we require hospitalization. We have technology to see the baby with ultrasounds."

"I didn't know that was a problem." His smile faded. "Are you sure you want to?"

Of course, he wanted to have a family with her. But he didn't want to risk her safety. His grip on her hands tightened.

"If Kris could do it..." Frisk scooted closer to Sans. "So can I. I'm sorry. I think I'm more scared putting her at risk at this point so it makes me nervous for myself too. I really want have children with you more than anything." The last part made her face get hot again.

She feels bad for worrying Sans like this. She knows she sounds a bit contradicting with the whole thing.

"If you're sure," His face also felt hot. "I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby...if we end up having one."

"I think becoming a parent is scary for anyone. But it's also a happy thing." She replied. "I'm sorry that I'm making you think of these things too. I feel bad about it."

"You have my support. I'll take care of you." He smiled. "I am nervous still. But...you're strong."

"Blah, I didn't mean to make you nervous." Frisk apologized. "I'm only strong because of you..."

"Don't say that." He looked down. "You don't NEED me to be strong. But for whatever reason, you want me. That...means more to me than anything."

"I'll always want you." Frisk wrapped her arms around him. "I didn't mean it that way. I meant if I dealt with things alone, I probably would have given up so many things. But you are always there for me. I am thankful for that. I cherish your love."

"I cherish your love too." He had a blushy smile. "More than I can describe."

Frisk smiled too. "Sorry to keep you awake. Thank you for letting me talk a bit."

"I will always want to talk to you. No matter the time." He eased back so that they were laying with their arms around each other. "Good night for real this time?"

"Yes. I plan on sleeping in tomorrow." Frisk giggled.

"You do that." He replied happily. (I need to talk to Papyrus tomorrow anyway.)

They kissed each other good night and slept peacefully... With no interruptions this time.

...

Papyrus was up, making breakfast. He doesn't make spaghetti in the mornings anymore. He was thinking of Undyne. Perhaps she would want some food in the morning?

He was making some waffles. He mastered the art of making them now... Even though it was simple.

He noticed Sans was awake, but Frisk wasn't up yet.

"GOOD MORNING, SANS!" He shouted. "WHERE IS FRISK? IS SHE STILL SLEEPING?"

"Yup. Sound asleep." He walked into the kitchen. "Look, I need to talk to you. About Undyne." He started to feel a little guilty already.

"YES! I AM MAKING UNDYNE HER SHARE OF BREAKFAST THIS MORNING!" Papyrus beamed. "SHE IS WANTING ME TO VISIT EVERY DAY! ARE YOU WANTING TO SUGGEST A FLAVOR FOR HER WAFFLE?"

"No. That's not what I was going to do at all." Sans sighed. "I don't think you should visit her. She's dangerous!" He waved his hands as he talked. "She almost killed Frisk!" There was an angry expression on his face just remembering that image. "Then there's Kris and Ralsei...She's just not a good person. I don't want you to be around her."

"SHE HAD MADE A MISTAKE!" Papyrus kept cooking, unfazed. Probably because he's oblivious to how serious it sounds. "SHE IS SORRY. I DON'T THINK SHE WILL DO IT AGAIN. I BELIEVE HER FOR BEING GOOD STILL."

(He doesn't even know how bad this is,) Sans thought. "You don't understand. She didn't just make a mistake. People could have died. People you care about."

"THAT'S-" Papyrus stopped. Thought a moment. Then continued. "BUT SHE DIDN'T, DID SHE? EVERYONE'S FINE!"

"She didn't, but..." Sans put his hands on the counter. "If you saw the shape they were in maybe you would think differently. If she wasn't stopped then Frisk, Kris, and Ralsei would all be dead right now."

"IT'S FINE, SANS. SHE-"

"No," Sans said simply. "I don't trust her."

"IT'S FINE YOU DON'T TRUST HER," Papyrus replied. "BUT I DO! I'LL BE GOING NOW TO VISIT H-"

"I'm telling you not to!" Sans sometimes forgot that Papyrus was an adult. That he couldn't boss him around anymore. He was only trying to look out for him.

Papyrus stayed quiet. He just stood there. Unmoving.

There was a silence. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.

"SANS. EVER SINCE THAT DAY, YOU'VE BEEN STRANGE." He spoke up.

"What day?!" Sans voice was still a bit loud due to his frustration. "What are you talking about?!"

Frisk woke up due to Papyrus's loud voice. There was also Sans's yelling. Frisk made her way downstairs and stopped to listen to Papyrus's voice.

"THAT DAY YOU CRIED!" Papyrus had a serious, yet concerned look. "EVEN NOW, YOU'RE ANGRY? I NEVER SEEN YOU THIS WAY BEFORE. I FEEL LIKE... I DON'T KNOW SOMETHING. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE THINKING AT TIMES."

Sans had his arms on the table and put his head in his hands, letting out a frustrated groan. The stress was getting to him. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

He was trying to avoid telling him for as long as he could.

"IT'S ALRIGHT..." Papyrus mumbled, but still, with a loud voice.

There was a squeak in the floor board. The brothers noticed Frisk's presence in the room. She looked down, apologetically. She felt too awkward to say anything due to the tense emotions in the room.

Sans gave Frisk an apologetic look too, and then focused back on Papyrus. "I still don't think you should visit her."

"SANS! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU," Papyrus's voice boomed. "BUT I DO WANT EVERYONE TO GET ALONG." He looked at Frisk. "ISN'T THAT RIGHT, FRISK? DOESN'T UNDYNE DESERVE A SECOND CHANCE?"

"I... Well.." Frisk avoided eye contact. She was always merciful. Always trusting. She knows Undyne is a good person too. Yet the fact that there was a risk of the virus again because of her state of mind, it bothered Frisk. But Sans had also shown her that there was still goodness inside of him despite his threatening nature.

She stayed silent. She doesn't want to go against Sans's wishes either so she stayed quiet.

The tension. The fact that Frisk wouldn't give an answer. It stressed Sans out even more. "I wish she would change. But I'm not willing to risk it."

"EVEN THOUGH YOU DON'T BELIEVE SHE CAN CHANGE," Papyrus responded and pat Sans's shoulder. "I PROMISE MY HUNCHES ARE NEVER WRONG!"

Before Sans could say anything, Papyrus runs out of the room. He didn't leave the house. He feels conflicted what to do now so he ends up going to his room.

Frisk goes over to Sans and softly wrapped her arms around Sans. She sighed.

"Are you mad at me?" Sans asked. That was a silly question since she just hugged him. Yet his nerves were bothering him. He knew that he was being hypocritical since he didn't deserve a second chance at all. But he didn't want anything to happen to his brother. To Frisk. (Did I just make things worse?)

"No." Her face buried into him. "I'm here to bring you comfort. Frisk is here to the rescue!" She squeezed him.

He smiled sadly. "Thanks...Do you think I did the wrong thing?"

"No." She repeated. "I don't blame you... After everything you've been through."

She sighed. If she had seen Sans beaten up like that by someone, she would probably hate and not trust them. It's strange what love does to someone. She also has the feeling of protection over Sans. She doesn't hate Undyne. The only person she'll always hate is Chara.

"You acting this way isn't a bad thing," she continued. "You love our relationship and want to shield us from any danger."

"But I don't want to make things worse either," he said. "You were so forgiving towards me, but I can't forgive Undyne. She's not even as bad as I was. What she did to you...I can't forget about that."

"Sans..." Frisk kisses his forehead. "I understand. It's alright. Even though Chara's gone, that is one person I could never forgive." Her hands touched his face to have him look at her. "If you ever gotten hurt by someone like that, I wouldn't know what to do with myself either."

She sadly smiled. "Your past actions was to stop someone else evil. Her actions was misjudging Kris and I, by thinking we're evil. When we're far from that. That's the difference. She had too much pride for her own reasoning, not anyone else's."

"Alright." He patted her back. "You don't have to try to justify my past actions anymore. As for Undyne, what do you think I should tell Papyrus?"

"I think you did all you could." She replied. "Papyrus...He's really naive... But we shouldn't pick and choose his friends. Those two were always close. Maybe he can be a good influence to her?"

She backed up to look at him. "I'm not saying we should befriend her either. I'm honestly kind of scared of her now." She nervously laughed.

"You're right." He sighed. "I will go talk to him again... Just because he's friends with her, doesn't mean I have to be."

"Good." She kissed his cheek. "Perhaps throw some puns into the conversation while you're at it." She winked at him.

He forced a smile. He didn't feel like telling puns. He went to Papyrus's room and knocked on the door. "Papyrus?"

All Sans heard was a grouchy grumble. Papyrus hears the door open as Sans stepped in.

"WHAT?" Papyrus pouted.

"Ugh...I'm really sorry." Sans smiled sadly. "I guess I shouldn't try to control who you become friends with."

"SANS, YOU'RE MY BROTHER. IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS, YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD REASON TO BE LIKE THIS." Papyrus replied. "IT'S HARD... BECAUSE I CAN'T CHOOSE BETWEEN YOU."

"You don't have to," Sans replied. "I don't have the right to choose your friends. It sounds like you're...pretty close to her. I won't stop you from going to see her. This doesn't mean I trust her though."

"I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T KEEP ME FROM HER!" Papyrus exclaimed happily. "TIME TO GET HER BREAKFAST!" Before Sans could say anything else, he jumped out of the window with grace.

Sans shook his head. "Only Papyrus."

Frisk popped her head in. "Did he just-"

Sans turned around towards her and chuckled. "Yeah. He got really excited."

"Everything good now? You feel better?" She smiled.

"I'm still a little worried," Sans admitted. "But I do feel better."

"Does my Sans need a boost? With a kiss?" Frisk flirted in a cute tone.

He started to blush. "That sounds nice." He walked closer to her.

As Sans had his eyes closed, she kissed his 'nose'. She noticed he gave her a look. "What? You wanted me to on your mouth?" She said in a playful tone.

"You know I did." He pouted a little bit.

Frisk admired his pouty expression. "You're adorable so I might as well." She gives him a kiss.

He kissed her in return and put his hands on her shoulders. He looked into her eyes with a smile. "Let's get breakfast."

...

Frisk and Noelle went out without their men one day. They had to seek their future wedding dresses together. Kris would have come along, but her pregnancy was a little rough.

They hope Kris would be alright her public wedding day. Yet, she was kind of pushing them to get married quickly.

After Frisk and Noelle successfully found their dresses, they had exited the store to head back to where Sans and Azzy was at.

"I can't believe we're both going to be wives in the future." Frisk giggled.

"Yeah. Azzy's a bit eager to marry me... If you know what I mean." Noelle blushed.

"Oooo." Frisk nudged. "He's getting impatient?"

"Shh!" Noelle gotten flustered. "He's just so smooth. His words and actions make me melt."

"I feel that way with Sans too." Frisk giggled. "I don't know how he does it, but he never fails to make me feel flustered."

"When he will see you in your dress, he would definitely get emotional." Noelle commented.

"I think Azzy would too for you. You looked beautiful." Frisk smiled.

"Beautiful is right."

A random monster had appeared. It was Aaron, a muscular merhorse. He wiggled his eyebrows and winked.

"How about you ladies kiss my muscles?" Aaron smirked. They looked baffled.

"Um..." Frisk nervously laughed. "No thanks."

"Not interested!" Noelle felt uncomfortable.

Aaron put his arms around both of them. "Feisty, huh? Both of your hotness is making me sweat."

Frisk and Noelle tried to move away from him, but he was too strong. Too creepy. Smells like mussel farm.

"Hey!" There was a voice shouting from behind. Azzy and Sans were seen going towards them.

"Get your arms away from them!" Sans demanded.

Aaron ignored them. He didn't realize he was being talked to.

"Pucker up, babe!" He tried to kiss Frisk while stroking Noelle's hair. Frisk turned her face away.

"Stop! You're making us uncomfortable!" Noelle demanded.

Sans looked like he was about to attack, but Azzy stopped him. He walked in front of Aaron so he could see him. "I'm not sure if you know this, but Asgore is my father. It would be in your best interest to let go of these two. They're both taken and clearly not interested in you."

"Oh!" Aaron immediately started sweating bullets and let Frisk and Noelle go. Without apologizing, he just kept winking as he went away. "Waaaaaahhhh!!"

He was gone.

Azzy calmly grabbed Noelle's hand. "What a creep."

Sans, on the other hand, ran over to Frisk and wrapped his arms around her. He glared in the direction that Aaron ran off to. "My Frisk," he said angrily.

Frisk giggled to Sans. Him acting like that made her heart melt. She was feeling grossed out, but she's happy for a man like him. "Always yours."

"Thanks for coming in time." Noelle cringed. "I can't believe he pet me like that."

"Me neither." Azzy face palmed and grumbled. "Only I get to do that."

Sans kissed the side of Frisk's head.

"Your jealous side is cute." Frisk teased Sans.

"It's adorable to see Azzy this way too." Noelle chimed in a teasing way.

Sans and Azzy looked at each other and laughed nervously.

"You two were out for a while, so I thought I would go check on you," Azzy clarified.

"Me too." Sans backed up and took Frisk's hand in his.

"Awww." Frisk and Noelle said in unison.

"Missed us already?" Frisk patted on top of Sans's head with her other hand.

"Yeah!" Sans exclaimed. "It's boring without you."

"Same with you, Noelle," Azzy said. "I can't wait to get married and spend our whole lives together."

"Same here." Noelle blushed. "I-I hope you'd like the dress I picked out."

"We were just talking about you earlier!" Frisk chimed. "In fact, Noelle said-" Noelle went to cover Frisk's mouth in a flustered state.

"Frisk!"

"Huh?" Azzy turned to Noelle. Sans looked confused too. "What was that all about?"

"N-nothing!" Noelle gave Frisk a stern look. Frisk grinned underneath her hand.

Noelle lets go and Frisk smiled.

"It's fun teasing her." Frisk giggled while Noelle hid her face.

Azzy gave a teasing grin. "Oh? I'd like to hear about it?"

Noelle blushed deeply. "I'm going home!"

...

They ended up going back to their houses. On the way there, Frisk was clinging to Sans's arm. The whole time they were walking Sans has a smile on his face.

(Everyday. Forever. Us two.) He repeated those thoughts over and over again. They still didn't feel real or even possible.

Then his feet stopped moving.

He grabbed Frisk close protectively and looked around. It was so sudden and fast. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he got.

"Something doesn't feel right," he told Frisk. "Just...stay close to me."

"Sans?" Frisk looked at Sans all worried. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure." The feeling kept getting stronger. "You don't feel it?"

"Is it Aaron again?" Frisk sighed.

"No. I don't know if anyone's there," he admitted. "But I feel weird all of a sudden. Like something shifted."

"Shifted?" Frisk blinked. "What do you mean? You feel sick?"

He shook his head. "Not physically. I mean...maybe I'm being too paranoid." His embrace loosened, but he kept his arms around her.

Frisk looked at him. She said something else, but Sans couldn't hear her.

There's a sound of a strange language whispering in the shadows.

He knew that language. His eyes widened and he started to look around again. He couldn't see anyone there.

There was a touch onto Sans's face. "Sans!" It seemed he snapped back into reality.

The noise had stopped. Frisk had a really worried look on her face. "You're making me very concerned for you."

"He was here..." Sans still looked shaken up a bit. He shook his head, knowing that Frisk wouldn't know what he meant with just that. "My dad was here."

"What do you mean?" Frisk caressed his cheek for comfort. "I didn't see anyone. Is he dangerous?"

"I don't know what he wants." There was a hint of anger in his voice. "He sort of disappeared for the longest time. I haven't seen him in years...in both timelines. But I know that language. He was definitely here."

"This is strange." Frisk commented. "I wonder why he hasn't shown himself until now? Perhaps, this timeline is different since it's merged with another world?"

She noticed his hands were a bit more protective over her. She rubbed his back to ensure there's not a threat.

"I don't know...but I think we should go," he suggested. "I don't trust him."

Frisk didn't argue with that. With that, they teleported back into his room. For Sans to do that, his nerves must be high. She didn't move away from him and just held him closer.

There was a lot of thoughts in his mind.

(Seeing him today gave me a weird feeling. After all these years of not seeing him...What could he possibly want? Will he be back again?)

"I'm going to make sure the door is locked." Locking the door wouldn't do much good since it seemed that he could teleport, but it would ease Sans's mind a little.

"And Papyrus won't barge in on us too." Frisk joked, trying to make light of the situation.

"Heh. Yeah..." He went over and locked the door with a sigh. (Must there always be something?)

Frisk sighed too. All she wants to do is to keep Sans happy. As she sits down on the bed and noticed Sans coming into bed too. She takes his arm and pulls him onto the bed. "Your defenses were down for my sneak attack!" She held him closely and used her legs to spoon his legs. "You're trapped by me!"

He couldn't help but smile as a warmth spread across his cheeks. "I guess I am." He closed his eyes happily.

Frisk started to blush. "Y-you're supposed to resist me!" Her silly plan was foiled, but she loved his smile. The attack was a success after all.

"I don't think I will," he mumbled. "I don't want to."

"Alright." She giggled and playfully tried to roll away from him, but he pulled her close again. "Not yet."

"I love you, Sans." She blushed more. She enjoyed the feeling of his affection and hoped he felt more comfort being by her. She closed her eyes. She was too lazy to change into pajamas.

"I love you too. Goodnight." He kissed her head. There was no response except for her smiling. She was already falling asleep.

Chapter Text

It was later that night. Sans and Frisk were both asleep, when Sans woke up suddenly without an explanation. His eyes opened just in time to see a figure standing beside the bed.

He blinked. The figure was gone.

He sat up in the bed quickly, looking around the room. His own heavy breathing could be heard.

Footsteps.

The sound of something moving around the room.

Sans moved closer to Frisk.

Frisk shivered in her sleep. There was a chilling feeling. It felt so weird. Despite Sans being close to her, she felt cold. "Sans..." She mumbled in her sleep. "I'm freezing... Can you warm me up?"

Sans put a hand on her head. "Hold on, sweetheart. I will in a minute." He continued to look around. The sounds had stopped. It looked like he had left.

(Why was he even here?) Sans wondered. He laid back down with his arms around Frisk. (It doesn't make any sense...) It took Sans awhile to sleep, but he eventually did after feeling Frisk’s warm body.

...

Morning has come. While Sans went to get changed, Frisk was trying to wake up. Some mornings, she feels a bit tired to.

Her hair felt a little stroke. She spun around.

There's no one there.

"S-Sans?" She asked out loud.

No answer.

She felt another chill. There was a strange odd feeling she had gotten.

There was a bit of panic when she felt someone touch her shoulder and hair.

No one is in the room.

Chara?

It cannot be Chara.

Is she having a panic attack?

After all this time, she was getting better. She was better with being alone.

That anxiety made her bolt out of the room. Without thinking straight, barged in where Sans is at. She ended up wrapping her arms around him. She's shaking like a leaf.

"Frisk!" His arms wrapped around her. "What's wrong?"

"S-someone touched my hair. My shoulder." She stammered. "But there wasn't anyone there! S-Sans... I thought I was better. Wh-what's happening?" She started to weep.

"It'll be alright." He started to rub her back. He got an idea. "I'm right..."

He used his magic to grab her SOUL. "Here. And I will always be here."

Frisk felt a warm sensation within her heart. It calmed her tears. It felt a bit overwhelming. Kind of like the feeling she had gotten when they first kiss. She started to blush as if she was being kissed, but it felt more intense. She noticed her SOUL was glowing a bit blue too. Sans could probably feel her heart pounding.

She never had Sans do this before. "What are you doing? I mean, how are you doing that?" It made her heart tingly. It was hard to explain.

He could feel her SOUL pounding in his grasp. He felt closer to her than he ever had before. "If I scared you...I didn't mean to. I can use my magic to grab your SOUL."

"I'm not scared." She felt so close to him too. She blushed. "I feel really loved..."

Then she realized she did barge in on him. Due to her emotions, she forgotten he was getting dressed. He only had pants on. No wonder he felt so warm even though he's a skeleton. His structure is different compared to skeletons since he is a monster.

But Frisk is one of those girls who are modest. She can flirt all day long with words, but she has that shy side. Guys walked around the beach topless all the time. How is it not embarrassing for them?!

"Wah!!" She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm sorry! I ran in on you!!"

She tried to leave, but couldn't. Her SOUL was still in Sans's grasp. It didn't hurt her or anything, but now, she felt even more flustered. Not only could Sans see it, but can feel it.

"It's fine." He smiled a blushy smile. "I don't mind it. It's just my shirt I need to put on anyway."

"S-Sans!" Her flustered state must be endearing to him. Her eyes are still squeezed shut. "Put it on then before I melt into a puddle!" With his grasp on her SOUL, she does feel like turning into mush. But she knows better than to cross Sans's affectionate teasing.

"I don't think it would hurt to be distracted, but I don't want to risk it." He let go of her SOUL. He grabbed his shirt and hoodie and put them both on. "Ok. I'm done."

Frisk hesitated but opened her eyes. It seems he wasn't kidding. Sometimes, he would do things to tease her more. She looked down with a blush. "You're sure merciful today."

"Well..." He pulled on one of his hoodie strings. "I'm letting you off easy today."

She giggled and then looked at him. "How did it feel? When you grabbed my SOUL?" She wondered since she didn't see his reaction.

"It felt nice," he said. "Nice and...a little scary. I can't believe I did that." He chuckled nervously.

"Scary? How so?" She questioned.

"I just...I got over the fear of using my magic. Teleporting. Thanks to you." He had a sad smile. "But that was different...Holding your SOUL like that...You couldn't move. You couldn't do anything. You were so vulnerable. But you don't seem to mind it?"

She shook her head. "To me, it was like you were holding me in your arms, but also kissing me at the same time. Yet, it felt more powerful than that. It's hard to explain..." She smiled sincerely to him. "It was comforting. I felt safe despite not being able to move. I... felt even more connected to you."

"I'm glad. That's what I was going for, but...I felt a little scared anyway. I'm glad you liked it." He sighed with relief. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Thanks to you." Frisk smiled. "Sorry for my little outburst. Perhaps it was Muffet's spiders pranking me." She laughed nervously to make herself feel better too.

That didn't sound likely to him. With everything going on, there was a chance that it was Gaster. He didn't say that out loud though. "It's ok. I will always want to help you, no matter what the problem is."

"Thank you." Frisk smiled. "Um...Sans?"

"Yes?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Can you hold me?" Frisk asked.

"Of course." He stepped closer to her again and pulled her against him. "Any time that you need me to."

"I want something else too." She looked up at him with sparkly eyes.

"Uhh..." Sans's face turned blue. The look in her eyes was driving him crazy. "A...whoopee cushion?"

"Sans!" Frisk pouted with a laugh. "Not that!"

"Really?" He asked in a mocking innocent tone. "Why not?"

"I want this!" Frisk closed her eyes and puckered up. She didn't feel him move into her though because...

He used his magic to grab a whoopee cushion and pushed it in front of his face, laughing quietly.

PBBBTTT!!

Frisk opened her eyes. She gave Sans a look, trying not to laugh.

"SAAAAAAAANNNNSSS!!!!!"

Sans couldn't stop laughing. "I couldn't help it!"

Frisk covered up her laugh with a pout. "No kisses for you for a week then!" She goes to leave, yet he grabbed her soul to pull her close to him.

"Please?" He made his eyes look big somehow and put his hands on her arms as he let go of her soul. "I want all your kisses!"

"Ok, close your eyes." Frisk mumbled.

Sans closed his eyes, and...

PBBTTTT

It was the whoopee cushion again.

Payback time.
Frisk giggled and tried to run away. Again, he grabbed her soul. “EEP!”

"Got ya!" He put his arms around her and pulled her back to him as he released her soul. "Nice try!" He said with a laugh.

Frisk giggled and kept moving her face away from him every time he tried to kiss her. "Hey, now, you GOT your kiss like I did."

"I want a real kiss now!" He exclaimed. He was still laughing with her.

"I asked for it first!" She pouted.

He stepped back a few steps and put his hands on her cheeks. He leaned down towards her and gave her a kiss. "There!"

"More." Frisk demanded with a blush.

"Ok." He gave her a longer kiss this time. Due to feeling the warmth of her face, his own face started to blush.

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself closer to him. She enjoyed the feeling of a loving kiss like that. They kept kissing for awhile until they stopped with their faces close together.

Her eyes wandered to his blue hue on his cheeks. Her heart fluttered.

“I love your blushing face." His voice was full of love. "Then again I love everything about you."

Frisk sighed happily. She really felt better. Sans always knew how to treat her right and make her laugh. "You really are my Mr. Right."

"And I couldn't be happier to have you." He rubbed his 'nose' against hers. Frisk giggled and then blushed.

Sans put his hand upon her cheek and caressed it. She looks so beautiful to him. Heck, she always looks amazing. Those lips of hers looks majorly scrumptious. His mouth plants upon hers to give her a deep kiss. He wants to protect her no matter what.

Frisk is his.

...

Azzy and Noelle were both sound asleep. Azzy had a bit of a loud snore. Well, more like an extremely loud snore. It sounded like the house was being torn apart. But somehow it didn't wake Noelle up.

As he was sleeping, he felt what felt like a hand on his ear. A strange chill. His snoring subsided as he started to wake up a little.

Noelle felt as if someone was playing with her ears. There was a whispering sound, but she couldn't make out what it was. It made her wake up too. "Azzy... stop it." She mumbled.

"Stop what?" He mumbled sleepily. "I'm just trying to sleep and you keep touching my ear..." With his mind not fully awake, he would do strange things. He grabbed his own ear and dropped it onto his face over his eyes.

Noelle eyed him in the dimmed light. She huffed. "You're touching your own ear. Plus, you kept making mine itch."

She started to feel cold and shiver.

"I just woke up..." He started to feel the cold too, and her shivering. "Why is it so cold all of a sudden?"

Noelle heard some strange whispering. It almost looked like the darkness was fizzing into something. Like in the shadows. It freaked her out to make a barrier around the bed. But there wasn't anything there.

(Is my mind playing tricks on me?)

She felt another cold shudder.

He held onto her to try to warm the both of them up. "Are you alright? Why did you make a barrier?"

She eased it down and made it disappear. "I thought I saw something." She snuggled closely to him. "Are you sure you didn't touch my ears?" She felt a little freaked out. He can tell by the tone of her voice.

"I think so...But I move around in my sleep sometimes. Maybe I did on accident." He tried to soothe her nerves.

"Ok." She calmed down a little, but not enough. Her shivering was starting to subside due to his warmth. "I... thought I heard someone... Whispering. Something... Doesn't seem right."

"No one will hurt you with me here," he promised. "I didn't hear any whispering. Are you sure you weren't half awake?"

"I... thought I felt someone here... I don't know." She sighed as she lied next to him with her head on his chest. "Maybe I was halfway in a nightmare."

"Nobody is here except us two." He kissed her ear softy. "I will stay up a while longer if it will make you feel safer."

Noelle slightly blushed at that. "Thank you. Ah, sorry, I gotten a little paranoid. You always make me feel safe."

She recalled how they worked together with Undyne. They make a pretty good team. Azzy is offensive and she's defensive. Even with the virus, she tried to heal him despite his injuries. She buried her face into him more. Somehow, he sometimes smells nice like flowers. She didn't realize she kept sniffing him.

He chuckled. "Do I smell nice? I can feel your nose sniffing me."

"I-I wasn't sniffing!" She denied with a blush.

"Really? So is your nose just twitching a lot at the same time you make sniffing noises and my shirt moves towards you?" He asked with an amused smile.

"Eep!" She squeaked in shyness. "I-. Well- YoudosmellnicesoIcouldn'thelpit." She always talks fast when she's bashful or nervous.

"It's alright. Thank you." He rubbed her head. "I thought I would smell stinky since it's the middle of the night." He laughed. "But anyway...If you don't go to sleep soon you will be super tired tomorrow. Would it help you fall asleep if I sing?"

Noelle giggled. Stinky?

Him?

She guesses one of these days, he will smell stinky to her. Probably when they're married. But it kind of feels this way with the sleepovers happening more.

Enjoying the feeling of his touch on her head, she nodded with a smile. "I didn't know you could sing."

Being a couple, they're always learning more new things about each other. It feels like an adventure but with love.

"I don't very often. I don't know if I'm any good at it," he admitted nervously. "But both of my parents used to sing together, and as a kid I would join in."

Noelle smiled and replied. "Go ahead. I love to hear you."

He took a deep breath to ready himself, and started to sing. It was a simple and relaxing tune. His voice wasn't trained of course, but still sounded nice and sweet.

He continued to sing until he was sure that she was asleep, and then stayed up for a while to make sure it was safe. When nothing happened for a while he laid down with her.

Noelle kept smiling while she breathed softly in her sleep. Since she was in a deep slumber, she made kissing sounds.

Azzy laughed and put his arms around her to feel closer. He kissed her cheek. "I love you."

She mumbled something. It sounded like an 'I love you too.' But it was like a bunch of gibberish.

Surely, Azzy did comfort Noelle for that disturbance. But something did feel off. It took a bit, but he fell asleep too.

...

BZZT

There was a glitched sound.

BZZT

Again.

What is it?

Frisk kind of opened her eyes. She felt awake, but she couldn't move. Her body felt like static.

There was someone there.

Is this sleep paralysis?

The figure is black and white with a distorted, cracked face. He was smiling at Frisk, in an eerie way.

Frisk panicked, but couldn't move. She couldn't scream.

She tried to yell for Sans, but it didn't work. Her voice barely let out a sound to alert him.

(Sans! Please!!! Wake me up!!)

Sans turned away from her in his sleep. He was unaware of what was going on.

Frisk could barely lift a finger. She felt so helpless.

(It's ok, I'll wake up soon. This isn't real.)

She kept saying that to herself, but no one can help her at this point.

The figure got closer to her. The bottom of his outfit seemed to flow into the floor as some sort of strange goop. There was some of it on his face too as he tilted his head. His smile grew wider.

"How wonderful that it should happen this way." He touched her cheek and saw the fear in her eyes. She could actually feel his cold hand.

The glitched sounds kept growing louder. There was a high pitched ringing in her ears. She tried to speak to this stranger, but nothing happened.

The man found it a little amusing. His voice sounded a bit distorted with whispers and a mixed language. Frisk couldn't understand what he was saying.

There was a strange noise heard. Both the figure and Frisk had disappeared from the room, leaving Sans unaware.

...

Sans was waking up in the morning and immediately felt that something was wrong. "Frisk?" He asked sleepily.

He felt around, but he couldn't feel her. "Frisk?!"

He was starting to get more panicky. She wasn't anywhere to be seen. Still in his pajamas, he ran out of the room.

He couldn't find her anywhere. Papyrus also wasn't awake, which was strange. There was an unsettling silence in the house.

He ran to the counter and pulled his phone from the charger. He tried to find Azzy's number. As soon as he clicked on the call button, the language was heard again.

There were a bunch of strange lights coming from the phone, and then it turned off. Glitched.

(What did he do?!)

...

The ground felt cold and clammy. There was a slight chilling wind. Frisk felt her body restrained by random, glitched boxes. She heard a man talking.

The figure from before kept talking a lot. He was staring at this void off of a cliff.

"I'm sure you're wondering who I am." The man's voice spoke up with a chuckle. He turned to her. His one eye gleamed a purple shade. "W.D. Gaster is the name. To think, my other self had stolen from me."

Frisk can understand why Sans was protective over Frisk the past week. She's terrified. "What do you want from me?"

Gaster stared out to the void. He started to talk at a faster pace. He simply ignored her. It was like he was presenting some kind of speech. "Gaster stole from me. All of my studies across time and space! Yet, I cannot go back! I can't get out of here. Stuck back in the beginning. The beginning. It goes on and on."

He kept repeating that last part and bitterly laughing to himself.

What the heck is he talking about? Frisk thinks this guy is nuts and talking nonsense.

She spoke even louder to get his attention. "What do you want with ME? Why are you keeping me here?!"

He turned around quickly. "Because you're of use to me! It's never been done before...But I've been researching since time itself began in this place! Before that even!"

His eyes were wide with a crazed expression. "This endless cycle of time repeating will come to an end! I only need YOU!"

"I don't mind helping, but why must you restrain me?" Frisk stuttered, but tried to remain calm. She's a little confused.

"Verdana, my dear sweet, Verdana..." Gaster started to ignore Frisk again and he was pacing around the room. "I have finally found the solution. We will be reunited. I will go back to you!"

This man isn't making any sense again. She struggled a bit, but the restraints felt tighter. She stopped resisting since it started to hurt.

Frisk spoke louder. "Who is Verdana? Why must you keep me captive?"

"Veranda...She's beautiful. So, so beautiful." He put his hand on his chest as he kept pacing. "She has left for a while. It feels like forever. But since time never ends here, it really doesn't matter how long!"

"Living in a world where no one ever truly dies..." He continued. "Such an interesting thing. I bet you never stopped to really think about it. But it seems...There is a way to truly kill someone! To wipe them from the face of this universe, and extract the SOUL for a better purpose! My love will return to me soon enough."

Frisk's eyes widen. Now, she's starting to have a huge amount of fear.

(He must mean me!)

As if she already knew the answer, she still stuttered to ask, "Are you... Sans's...dad?"

He chuckled at that. "So he told you about me? How much exactly?"

It was a bit confusing. This man captured her and wanted to kill her in order to bring his wife back. Yet, he kept talking. Not cutting to the chase.

"Sans will be happy to have a family again," he responded. "His mother back. He may want you around, but this is what he really needs."

He shook his head before she even said anything. "I've been watching everything. What happened to my son. You may have helped him, but also hurt him in ways you aren't aware of. He needs his family. He WANTS you alive."

Hurt him in ways she isn't aware of... Hasn't Sans been happy this whole time with her?

"He wants to marry me-" Frisk started.

"He'll get over you." His smile widened. There wasn't any sense of remorse. "Your use for him, for us, to have a mother figure back. He'll find someone better than you." He laughed at that. Those words are rather hurtful towards Frisk.

"Sans will hurt, but he will move on." Gaster nodded happily. "He has been moving on. At least for this time, you will be useful." He drew closer to you. "Protecting such a human all the time. Surely, he would get sick of you. I'm just doing him a favor."

Tears started to form in Frisk's eyes. The nerve of him for saying that! He would be a father-in-law. But it does hurt her since she isn't fit to fight nor protect herself.

Noelle can do barrier and heal. Kris has a sword and shield. Arrow powers too.

What does she have? Yes, RESET. Coming back to life. But it has no use anymore. Has she really been a burden to Sans this whole time? Would he get tired of doing this all the time?

The goop from his outfit wrapped around her and gave her a painful squeeze. "You look so upset. But you are being used for a purpose far greater than you will ever be worth otherwise. You are truly helping Sans now. Doesn't that make you happy?"

Frisk was about to speak, but Gaster dragged her towards the void.

"No more time wasted. Must set things into motion!" His expression turned to delight. Frisk had to think fast.

"W-wait! You can't do this!" She shouted. The first thing that popped out of her head was... "I'm carrying Sans's child! Your grandchild!"

It was a bluff, but she was hoping and praying he would fall for it. She felt a bit embarrassed saying that out loud even though she's in this dire situation.

There was the sound of Sans's teleportation nearby. "Y-yeah! A child!" He exclaimed suddenly, surprising them both. He was a little disoriented from his panic, and from teleporting around so much so quickly.

Frisk noticed Sans's face. He was sweating. He must have been looking everywhere for her. She had a relieved and apologetic expression.

Gaster hesitated a bit from hearing those words, but he didn't bother letting Frisk free yet.

"Son. I know you're lying to me." He smiled again. "I've been watching everything. I know that hasn't happened."

Sans shuddered at the thought. "Ok, well that's weird..." He shook his head. "Regardless of that, why are you trying to kill her?!"

"This woman. She has such an extraordinary power!" Gaster's eyes sparkled from finding a scientific breakthrough. "For years, I have been lost through time and space for my experiment going wrong! But it was actually right! I searched many universes, but your mother, I could never find her." He started to repeat words.

"Hopeless. I thought, Gaster stole my lead! I ended up back here to see this universe had clashed with several others! What an interesting thing!" He made Frisk look at him. "DETERMINATION. This girl has it yet she doesn't have any LV. Such purity! If I throw someone as pure as she into this void, it can grant someone back to life! A great trade off!"

"You're sickening to have watched us all the time." Frisk glared. "You would throw away your grandchild too?!"

"You aren't pregnant." Gaster replied. "Remember, I seen everything. I know you're saving yourself for marriage."

Frisk didn't have anything to say. If he really did, she feels more repulsed if they did actually try. "I..!"

"Just joking! I seemingly just got here! How on earth can I watch everything!? That is madness. Gross! I'm just good at reading people's lies!" He laughed and did a huge grin. "Now, DIE!"

"Dad!" Sans ran closer to them. "Stop this! If nothing else worked, how do you know that this will?! She's really gone. Frisk has nothing to do with any of this!"

Sans didn't want to hurt his own dad. He was trying not to attack. But Frisk...He couldn't lose her. What could he do?

"It's alright, son." Gaster smiled in a sincere, yet eerie way. "Perhaps, your memories would erase. You don't need to remember someone. The angel that had fallen into the Underground. No wonder she is the savior. Also, a sacrifice!"

He starts to prepare the ritual. Strange letterings appeared everywhere. A strange static burst throughout Frisk's body, causing her to scream.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt long." Gaster laughed.

Sans couldn't take it. The sound of her screams caused a pang of hurt in his SOUL. A weak onslaught of bones lashed at Gaster. He didn't use his full power. Gaster's powers released Frisk due to his surprise. Frisk felt a bit dizzy, with the backlash of the static. Trying to fight the pain, she tries to get up.

"You....defied me? My own son?" Gaster's face is filled with rage. "You dare attack your own father?!" It's as if Sans did something horrible. He lashed out a crazed attack with many hands towards Sans. His power was too huge for Sans to just teleport out of the way. Even if he could, Sans was so tired from teleporting so much earlier.

As Frisk snaps out of it, she realized what was happening. "No!!" With all of her might, she ran in front of Sans, facing towards him to block the attack.

"Frisk!" There was no time to try to get her to move out of the way. Their eyes met for a moment as Sans could see Gaster's attacks behind her.

Gaster was blinded by his own vision. The was a bright, white light. As he was looking towards Frisk, he foresees something.

He saw warped memories of all of them being a happy family. His wife isn't there, yet...

Another flash happened.

Chapter Text

There's a small child. She called him 'grandpa'. Her smile was so similar to his wife's expression. Such an adoring look.

Gaster gasped deeply and held his head. The motion of his attack subsided. His knees gave out, making him collapse kneeling onto the floor.

Frisk felt the wind behind her stop. The horrible noise had stopped. She felt confused to why he stopped his attack.

Sans watched as it all went down. Frisk...was safe? He ran forward and embraced her.

"Don't do that! Please, don't ever do that..." He repeated. There were tears of relief falling from his eyes.

"I'm sorry." Frisk's voice cracked as she held onto him. She started to cry too. "I just didn't want you hurt. I want to protect you too."

"I know." He patted her back. "You have helped me...so much already. Sacrificing yourself would do nothing for me if I had to live without you."

He looked past her shoulder to see that Gaster was still on his knees. It looked like he was crying. Before Frisk could respond to what Sans said, he spoke up again. "Thank you… For not hurting her."

"I... Almost killed my grandchild..." Gaster looked shocked. "I...saw her. That's why I couldn't hurt her."

Frisk noticed Sans gave her a look, but she shook her head in confusion. Gaster wasn't making any sense again.

"How did you see her?" Sans questioned. "That doesn't make sense."

"All I wanted was my wife, your mother back." Gaster avoided the question. "Years. I kept trying for years you can't even comprehend my age now. The methods I had tried, had failed."

He looked at his hands that glitched at some points. "Simply existing through so much time, my memories can see into others's. I can... Sometimes see visions. A side effect of traveling through space and time."

He stood up. "Gaster."

There he goes, saying his own name again. "My first solution, he had stolen from me. My breakthrough to merging universes together. Yet, it is incomplete. The machine. It's dangerous. The imbalance isn't good." He looked towards Frisk. "I discovered Frisk's DETERMINATION. Had she RESET, my vision shown me it didn't make the universes separate. I was pulled back into here. Slowly. Sacrificing her and taking her power would have turned back time. Back to before your mother's death. But yet... I can't do this anymore. Perhaps, I may or may not cease to exist if I go back. I want to live to see my grandchild."

All of that information was a lot to take in. "You keep talking about yourself...Do you mean you from another universe? And what is the machine?" Sans had a lot of questions popping into his head.

"Yes. The machine was a source I had gathered from multiple entails in other universes. It was initially supposed to gather information about your mother from other worlds and times. But my other self took it from me." Gaster sighed. "He's obsessed with DETERMINATION. Testing it. I do not know what else he was planning. I only concocted the idea with your woman as sacrifice due to theories."

He held his head. "Our future may be erased. I saw it... but until I seen that grandchild.. I saw there was hope. We'll live a long life before Gaster's plan set motion."

Frisk looked a bit confused. Scared. It definitely was a lot to take in.

Sans still kept an arm around Frisk as he thought for a moment. He always found it hard to forgive those who wronged him. Mainly, those who wronged Frisk. But now...He could see two sides to it.

He did miss his mother too. And he knew that if Frisk died permanently, he would do just about anything to bring her back.

How many others did he judge wrongly? Was Undyne even as bad as he thought she was? After all, in her eyes, she was doing to right thing. Blinded by her own ideas of justice.

Every 'villain' had some sort of reason behind what they did. Some even believing that they were heroes. And how many of them, like Gaster, were broken behind an evil persona? Misled maybe?

Insane like Sans?

His thoughts were troubling to him. Some of them deserved forgiveness. Others, not so much. But would it really be so hard to offer it?

"I hope you stick around for that long."

Gaster perked up, but then had a guilty look. "You forgive me? I had hurt your fiancée. I had abandoned you while you and Papyrus were children... I deeply apologize."

"Yeah. All that stuff was pretty terrible." Sans smiled, half amused with how much Gaster's words reminded him of himself. "But...I've done some terrible things too. You had a reason for what you did. And, although that doesn't make any of it right, I see where you were coming from."

He removed his arm from Frisk and walked towards him, offering him help to stand up. "Despite what you've done, I'm offering you a chance to be like a family again. Start being a REAL dad to us. A grandfather to Frisk and I's child. Sound like a plan?"

Gaster sighed as he was helped to stand up. "Sounds wonderful."

Sans returned to her side and took her hand. He touched her cheek with his other hand. "Are you ok? For sure?"

"I'm a bit tired." She admitted. "I didn't get much sleep."

"She should get some rest. It is my fault I disturbed her." Gaster stated. "She'll be less cranky too."

"Heh. Alright." Sans blushed in embarrassment. "We can teleport to our place so she can rest. Dad, you can come too if you want. Papyrus is probably up by now."

"Will... Papyrus remember me?" Gaster felt hesitant.

"That...I'm not sure." Sans scratched his chin. "He was little. I guess we'll see."

Gaster started talking really fast. "Is Frisk actually pregnant? I'm not sure what is the truth. I feel sorrow for attacking if she is. If she isn't, can you go ahead and try? I'll even marry you this moment! Oh, I am so interested to meet my granddaughter! What will be her name? My oh my, am I nervous to see Papyrus again too. When I was your age, your mother and I eloped...." He kept rambling and pacing while being expressive with his hands.

It was making Frisk blush that she hid her face into Sans's shoulder. But her mind is at ease that her pregnancy will go well in the future.

"Dad!" Sans laughed. He got his attention. He looked to Frisk with a smile. "Would you be alright with going ahead and getting married?"

"Sans! No!" Frisk blushed. "I had gotten a wedding dress for the ceremony! You'll have to wait a little longer to try on the actual date." She looked away in embarrassment.

"We could still have a public ceremony with your dress!" Sans said. "But ok. I can wait if it's what you want."

Frisk thought for a moment. "You mean like the same thing Ralsei and Kris are doing?" She was slightly considering it.

"Yeah!" He nodded in agreement. "That's exactly what I mean!"

Frisk poked Sans's cheeks with a wink. "Someone's eager to have a child." But that was making herself blush too since she was feeling the same way.

"I am." He lowered his face into his hoodie so that part of it was covered. "I'm also excited to be married to you. To be able to call you my wife."

Gaster gave them both a sly smile.

Frisk looked at Sans with a blush. "W-we need to start living into our new home then if we get married right now!"

"It shouldn't take too long to move into it with the help of our friends," Sans pointed out. "I'm sure they would help out."

"Let's do so then..." Frisk smiled.

"I was only joking." Gaster stated but Frisk glared at him. "And I was joking about joking! Let's get started! Your vows, son!"

Sans took both of her hands and smiled. "Frisk...I will always cherish you and what you've done for me. If not for you, things would be so different. Worse. I will never stop being thankful."

"Living my entire life with you...I couldn't think of any better way to live. I just want to be with you forever. Through any timeline and any universe. I always want to see you there."

Frisk already started to get emotional and started to cry happily. She didn't wait for Gaster to ask for her vows.

"I didn't expect to be married like this, but you're always so full of surprises. I have always loved you for the longest time and I cannot wait to raise a family together." She sniffled as she gazed at him. "Through good times and bad times, I'll always be there. Loving you until the end of my days. I promise to always stay with you."

Getting married to her didn't seem possible. But they were doing it anyway. Sans was trying to keep from crying, but he failed too. His crying was more audible than Frisk's, but in a happy way. He pressed one of her soft hands against his face as his eyes closed.

That only made Frisk cry louder too. She was elated.

"You may now kiss the bride." Gaster softly laughed.

Sans brought his face closer to hers. When he felt her lips it caused him to enter a state of disbelief, and extreme happiness. He truly loved her with everything that was inside of him.

As they backed away from their unity, they stared at each other.
Frisk wanted to take this whole moment in and enjoy it. Her tears kept flowing from her eyes. This was a strange place to get married at, but she couldn't be happier.

Gaster even wiped a tear from his eye.

"I love you," Sans said.

"I love you too." Frisk replied as she yawned as she leaned against him.

Sans smiled contently. "I think she's ready to get home and rest." He looked to Gaster. "We should probably get to the house."

"I'll let you two off. I'll be right behind you." Gaster chuckled.

Sans lifted her up bridal style. "Alright. Teleporting in 3...2..."

They popped up at the house. "Oops." Sans laughed.

Frisk was already sleeping in his arms. She was really tired from all of the excitement and stress from earlier.

Sans sighed happily. "I will take her to the bedroom so she can lay down. Feel free to find Papyrus."

Sans walked to the bedroom and used his foot to push the door open. He walked over to the bed and laid her down, running his hand along her cheek. "Sleep well." He tucked the blankets around her.

Gaster stood outside of their house. He hasn't stepped foot into it yet. He felt nervous. Hesitating, he heard a loud voice incoming. He also heard Sans telling that voice to quiet down because Frisk is trying to sleep.

He noticed the front door knob was turning.

Papyrus opened the door up and started to hurry, bumping into Gaster. "OH, HELLO THERE!"

He didn't realize who it was at first, until his eyes focused. He looked shocked at first. "DAD?"

"You..." Gaster put on a sad, yet crooked smile. "You know of me?"

"OF COURSE I DO! I'VE SEEN PICTURES OF YOU TOO!" He enveloped him in a hug. "I HAVE WANTED TO MEET YOU FOR A LONG TIME!"

Gaster was a bit surprised by him. He lightly hugged him back. He started to sob. All he could mutter was, "I'm sorry."

"I HAVE ALREADY FORGIVEN YOU!" Papyrus patted his back. "THERE'S NO NEED TO BE SAD!"

"Thank you." Gaster sighed. "I'm guessing Sans had kicked you out to let Frisk sleep?" He chuckled. Even when Papyrus was young, he was always so loud.

"YES! BUT IT'S OK! I WAS ABLE TO SEE YOU!" He exclaimed with a big smile.

That made Gaster happy. He still felt sad about his wife, but he knows she would scold him if he didn't move on.

Speaking of which...

"Sans is probably moving out later today." Gaster chuckled.

"I THOUGHT HE WAS WAITING UNTIL HE WAS MARRIED?" Papyrus tilted his head. "DID HE CHANGE HIS MIND?"

"Maybe." Gaster had a sly smile. Sans's teasing humor definitely had come from him. "You may be an uncle sooner than you expect! Thinking of which, do you think I could live here for a while? We have a lot to catch up on!"

There he goes rambling on and on again.

"I WILL BE AN UNCLE SOON?!" He exclaimed. "OF COURSE YOU CAN LIVE HERE!"

The two chatted a bit outside. Gaster felt a bit of a release from the tension he had. He's looking forward for the life he is going to have.

...

With the help of their friends, Frisk and Sans settled into their new home. Kris couldn't really help much, but she was there with Ralsei to be near him. Noelle and Azzy were there as well.

"You two couldn't wait, huh?" Kris let out a teasing grin as she watched them unpack boxes.

"We wanted to have a kid as soon as possible." Sans had a subtle blush on his cheeks.

He noticed a bow, like the ones on presents on one of the boxes. (How did that get here?) He hid the bow so Frisk couldn't see it, and turned to her. "Hey, Frisk. Do you remember when we decided that every day was like our birthdays with each other?"

"Mhm. What about it?" Frisk replied with a smile. She wasn't aware what he was doing since she was putting stuff away.

He pulled the bow out of his pocket and stuck it on his head. His smile widened, which didn't seem like it should be possible. "Happy birthday!"

Frisk giggled and hugged him. "The best gift ever!" She started to kiss his cheeks a lot.

Sans got a happy dazed look, earning laughs from the others.

Azzy, despite laughing, felt a little impatient. He wanted to get married soon too. Noelle noticed that he was acting a little strange.

"We should be leaving to give them privacy." Kris whispered to Ralsei, Azzy and Noelle. Not knowing it put Azzy on edge more.

Noelle looked at Azzy. "Are you alright? You've been quiet."

Azzy nodded with a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Let's go give them their privacy."

Ralsei grabbed Kris's hand like usual. "Do you need anything right now?" He tilted his head in question.

"I'm alright." Kris smiled as she and Ralsei snuck out of the house.

Noelle followed outside with Azzy too. But she kept noticing his expression. "You're doing it again."

Azzy stopped walking. "Noelle...I think we should get married soon too. If you want to, that is. Seeing them act like that...I really want to be like that too. And I'm eager to try for a child." He admitted his feelings bluntly.

Noelle was a bit surprised. Her face gotten red. "I- I... Well!!"

It seemed Azzy was patient with her for a while. But their sleepovers have been more frequent. It probably was hard for him, that she didn't realize. That she was tempting him to go further.

She did happened to get her wedding dress ready. But she didn't want to outshine Kris's and Ralsei's wedding by doing hers first.

It's like Kris read her mind by Noelle hesitating. "Noelle!" She overheard from the distance. "Don't worry about me! Just do it!"

"E-eh?!" Noelle exclaimed.

Azzy laughed. "So...do you want to?"

"Kr-Kris!" Noelle yelled, but Kris and Ralsei had already gone ahead.

"I-I... Well.... I still want a ceremony and for you to see my dress." She bashfully looked down, wiggling her hooves on the ground.

"I want that too." He touched her face to get her to look at him. "And I'm sure you will look beautiful in your dress."

Noelle felt her SOUL thump. He always makes her feel flustered. "Should we... Have it this week then?"

"That sounds amazing," he said. "And then you can move in with me permanently too!"

"Ok." She nodded. "I won't be sleeping over this week until I'm moved in." She blushed more. "I-I don't want anything to happen before the ceremony if that's alright." She started to walk ahead in a timid, fast paced way.

He had to speed walk to catch up with her. Of course, he wanted that. But he wouldn't push Noelle into anything. He was happy enough with what he accomplished anyway. "You're surprisingly fast when you're flustered."

Noelle just smiled and blushed even more. She always wants to be near him, but the next few days, she definitely had to prepare to be married and contact everyone.

Meanwhile, Frisk noticed their house is oddly silent. "Hm? Where did everyone go?"

"That's a good question..." Sans looked around a bit. "Do you think they went outside?"

Frisk looked around each room. Calling out each of their names. Silence.

She goes back to Sans and shakes her head with a giggle. "I guess they left us alone."

"Oh well," Sans started. "I think we're almost done now. We should be able to finish up on our own."

It didn't take long. They had finished the unpacking. Frisk started to feel nervous?

It wasn't a bad one, but she knows based on her father-in-law's vision, they'd have a girl.

Everything will be ok.

Will she be their only daughter? Or will they have more? What will her name be? She grabbed onto her own face to make herself calm down. But she was being obvious. Sans was also acting a bit nervous too. Being married is a new experience for both of them.

He reached over and grabbed her hand. "You're nervous too, aren't you?"

Frisk nodded. She didn't realize her palm was sweaty from being this way. "Yeah. My hand's gross. Sorry."

"It's alright," he said with a laugh. "I don't care. I just want to make sure you're ok."

"I'm alright. Umm... So..." Frisk couldn't even look at him since she's blushing and stuttering.

"New place. New home. Start of our marriage. Wouldn't this count as our honeymoon? Heh…" He scratched the back of his skull.

The two of them sat in silence. Not only Frisk was blushing, Sans was too. She stood up suddenly. "I...Will go get ready!!!"

She runs out of the room.

Sans sat in silent anticipation. His face turned a deeper blue. (I wonder...) His thoughts trailed off as he listened for Frisk.

Frisk was taking a while.

A long while.

It was making Sans more on edge.

There was the sound of upcoming footsteps heading Sans's way.

There she was. In a white, flowing wedding gown. It was a lightweight ivory lace and chiffon summer wedding dress. It had a short lace sleeveless bridal dress with floor length chiffon overskirt. A jewel illusion neckline. Her hair and makeup were done too. An aroma of a flowery perfume came from her.

Sans stood up from his seat when he saw her. "You look beautiful..." There was a pause, and then Sans ran over to her and hugged her tightly, lifting her up from the ground a little. He was starting to cry happily again.

Frisk teared up. Her heart felt tingly as she looked down at him. "I wanted to make this day more special for us. Plus, my stomach might be too big by time the public ceremony happens so I wanted to do this early, just in case." She joked.

He lowered her down so that her feet were on the ground again. "I'm glad that I was able to see you in it. You look...So amazing."

Frisk blushed. "You'll still love me even if I grow fat?" She laughed in a teasing way.

"Of course!" He stepped back and gave her a look like she was crazy. "Weight doesn't matter! You will still be beautiful!" He jokingly patted his own stomach. "I'm chubby anyway." He laughed.

"I still love you this way too!" Frisk giggled. She really felt so loved by him. "You're always handsome no matter what."

He blushed at that. "Good. Because I want to eat a lot of food!"

"I'll be joining you with that in the future." Frisk chuckled.

Sans laughed along with that. Frisk noticed her was staring at her in a loving way. He drew her closely to him.

They slowly drew in for a kiss. All Sans wanted was to show how much he loves her. What a real man does to treat a lady. He knows Chara really hurt her and doesn't want to ever make her feel that way again.

He knew Frisk mentioned before that she is nervous and hopes it doesn't trigger any anxiety.

But it didn't. Frisk fully trusted Sans.

Their hearts beat as one that night. It was a beautiful evening filled with real, true love.

...

The door opened up and Ralsei walked in. He spotted Kris on the couch with a blanket over here. "Hello, Kris!"

He hadn't told her why he was going to the store. He was holding a heart shaped box of chocolate, and a bouquet of colorful flowers. He presented them to her. "I got these for you!"

Kris's face lit up with a smile. She sniffed the flowers and took the chocolate. "You're so sweet. Thank you, my dear!"

She took a flower and put it onto Ralsei's hat. It matched his scarf.

Ralsei blushed and let out a small laugh. "Thank you!" He sat down on the couch beside her, touching the flower every few seconds to make sure it was still there.

Kris put a flower into her hair too, but she was having a little trouble getting it to stay there.

He could see that she was struggling. "Would you like some help? Maybe I can get it to stay."

"Certainly." Kris smiled.

He leaned over closer to her and grabbed the flower, trying to find the right place to put it. He finally found a good spot, and tucked it into her hair.

Since he was already close to her, he rested his head on her shoulder. "You look pretty," he mumbled happily.

Kris chuckled. "And you're adorable. Thank you."

She opens the heart shaped box and put it in her mouth. She looks towards Ralsei, motioning for him to share the chocolate with her. By a kiss.

Ralsei put his paw on her leg to prop himself up. Closing his eyes, he bit into the candy, and his lips met hers. He backed away slowly, still looking in her eyes.

Kris swallowed the taste of the chocolate. Because of that, there was some of the candy smudged onto her bottom lip. She gazed at him as well. "That made the kiss even sweeter."

"Mhm!" He wiped away the chocolate from her lip and then put the tip of his thumb in his mouth to eat it. His face turned a dark red and his eyes widened when he realized what he just did.

"Awwww." Kris cooed in admiration. "After everything, you still get flustered." She cuddled him closely, enjoying his soft, fluffy fur. She can't handle how cute he is sometimes.

His cheek got smushed against her, but he still managed a smile. "Th-that's a good thing?"

"Yes! Never change! You're adorable!!!" She chimed.

"Thank you!" He exclaimed. That made him really happy to hear. Then he felt something strange. He jumped a little in surprise.

He wasn't sure, but he thought that it was probably too soon to feel the baby. Maybe it was just gas? He gave Kris a questioning look. "I felt your stomach move a little."

Kris blinked in surprise. She was still in her first trimester of her pregnancy. She used to think no one would know the day they had the public ceremony, she wouldn't have a little baby bump. She is 8 weeks pregnant, yet she has a small belly right now. Perhaps, she should get her dress tailored. How naive she was to think she wouldn't have a stomach. Although, she doesn't regret it at this point.

"Are you sure?" She asked. She isn't sure how monster pregnancies work. Well, half monster.

He nodded, and started to rub circles on her stomach. "Is it possible for it to be the baby already?"

"I don't know." She shrugged with a grin. "Half human. Half monster. Not sure what to expect. Anything can be possible. I'm sure they will be super cute."

He thought for a moment, and then a strange question popped into his head. "Do you think they will have human ears or goat ears?"

"I hope goat ears!" Kris beamed. "If not, I will be happy either way. We can try again for another a little after this one." She looked at him. "What would do you think they'll be like?"

"Well..." His smile got bigger. "I think that they will be amazing even if they don't know it. And I hope that they like baking! Or really...anything else! I am excited to watch them grow up and learn. And to spend time with them doing what things we love to do as a family."

His eyes met hers. "Do you have anything you would like to do as a family once the baby gets older? I actually made a list at one point of things that would be nice to do...but that was a while ago. It was hypothetical. It feels crazy that it's actually happening now!"

He rambled a bit with his excitement.

Kris started to pet Ralsei. It brings her such joy to see him happy. It reminded her about the manual he made when she met him as a teenager.

It's amazing to see how much he has grown over the years.

"I agree with all of that." She replied. "It would be fun to share all of these memories with them. Teaching them how to bake would be so cute!"

She definitely wants to take pictures of that. All of their memories. She thought a moment and then responded to his question. "It would be neat to see them try out in magic. We could go for walks together. Have family movie nights or board games. Have birthday parties for each year."

"That would be amazing!" His eyes looked as though they were full of stars. He buried his face against her. "I'm so happy to have this life with you."

"Me too!" Kris nuzzled her face against his. "I hope they get along with our friends's children when they have their own."

"We can arrange play dates! And sleepovers!" He said. "Maybe they will even be like siblings since they will know each other from a young age!"

"Yes! Or," She nudges him, "Other than siblings...What if they end up being a couple as they're old enough?"

"That sounds wonderful!" He kept his smile. "I like that too!"

As the two were cuddling, there was a knock on the door. A REALLY loud knock on the door. Ralsei jumped, startled by the sudden loud noise.

He put his paw on the part of his cloak where his heart was on instinct. "Um...I will go get the door."

Kris nodded. She still gets nausea at times, but only when she moves around a lot. She watched Ralsei opening the door...

Standing there, were two people they hadn't seen in a while. Susie and Lancer.

"Oh, hello!" Ralsei greeted. "We haven't seen you two in quite some time! How are you?"

"Hungry." Susie smiled. "As always. Got any food?"

"Hey, kids." Kris greeted. "Is that a way to properly greet someone?"

"Yes!" Lancer chimed. "We want food!"

Ralsei laughed. "I guess I can get you both something if you're really hungry. What do you want?"

"Anything," Susie replied.

"Ok! I will go-"

"Everything." Her voice finished.

Ralsei froze, and he looked at the two again. "That doesn't sound very healthy. Plus, Kris needs lots of food now! I will get some leftover cake."

"Hey, you two can't eat all of our food. Who comes over to just eat?" Kris huffed.

"We do!" Lancer laughed, making Kris roll her eyes due to their immaturity.

"Don't you have any other reasons?" Ralsei asked.

"Maybe we also wanted to visit you. Maybe." Susie avoided meeting Ralsei's eyes. "But mainly food."

Kids these days. Kris shook her head.

Everyone had gathered in the living room to eat Ralsei's cake.

Lancer made loud slurping sounds. Kris gave him a glance that made him stop immediately.

"How are you two adjusting to the life here?" Kris asked.

"I go spend quality time with lesser dad! We go fishing! I always catch rocks!" Lancer beamed.

"Have you uh...ever caught a fish?" Susie asked.

"What's a fish? I thought we were supposed to fish rocks!" Lancer laughed.

"Uhh..." Susie just shook her head.

"A fish is a small animal that swims!" Ralsei seemed excited at the idea of getting to explain something to him. "Some people like to catch them for food or sport."

"Still a dork." Susie snorted. Ralsei shot her a look.

Kris's face darkened towards Susie. There was weird parental vibes coming from them,

"You were saying?" Kris forced a smile. She still has mood swings that are hard for her to control. Anything would set her off.

Susie's eyes widened. "Jeez, what's gotten you so angry? I was just joking!"

Lancer was oblivious to the whole thing. He kept chomping down on his share of the cake.

Kris started to aggressively eat more of her chocolate Ralsei had given her to calm her emotions. She didn't mean to snap like that. How can she possibly explain to these two?

"Kris." Ralsei put one of his arms around her. "It's ok. I don't think that they're mean. Just having fun."

Kris started to calm down. "I know..." She whispered to Ralsei, "I can't control my mood swings. I can't help it." She looked at him in an apologetic way.

"I know." He smiled at her. "I don't blame you one bit. There's no reason to beat yourself up over it."

Kris smiled at him and then looked at Susie. "Sorry, I haven't been feeling well so it makes me cranky at times."

Susie looked up from her now empty plate with her chocolate covered face. "Oh...Sorry to hear that??"

Kris chuckled at her face. "You got something on your..." She was pointing at Susie.

"Huh?" Susie rubbed her hand against her face and looked down at it to see the chocolate. "Did I get it?"

Kris nodded. She felt a little knot in her back for sitting too long. While she gotten up, she started to stretch. Lancer stared at her.

"You look different!" He stated in a goofy manner.

"Hm?" She replied.

"You have a tummy like I do now!" Lancer laughed. "You've gained weight! Hohoho! Must be all those chocolates!"

"Are you..." Kris stayed silent for a bit. Then she started to cry. "Are you calling me FAT?!"

"Dude!" Susie exclaimed nervously. "Don't be rude!"

Ralsei grabbed Kris's hand and rubbed it with his fluffy paw. "You're very beautiful, Kris."

Lancer's head drooped. "Oh, sorry...."

"Thank you..." Kris looked at Ralsei with tears. "I can't control it. Ughhh. It's like they want to come out of my eyes."

Lancer whispered to Susie. "Doesn't she seem different to you?"

Susie nodded, and then whispered back. "Yeah..."

Ralsei gave her a sad smile and then put his paw on the side of her face, wiping away her tears as they fell.

Kris sniffled and enjoyed the feeling of his touch. She kissed his paw. Her mood started to calm down. She wondered at this point, she should tell them. She can tell by their expressions, that she is acting strange.

Ralsei seemed to know what was going through her head. He nodded. "We should probably confess."

Kris nodded and looked at the two of their friends. "We have something to tell you guys."

"What?" Lancer asked.

Susie gave Lancer a quick look and then back to Kris and Ralsei. "We're listening."

"We're having a baby." Kris smiled. "I'm pregnant so it makes my moods all crazy."

Susie's jaw practically dropped. She shook her head to collect herself. "A baby? As in...a baby baby? Like an actual baby?"

Kris nodded and looked at Ralsei in a loving way.

"Woah." Lancer said. "What... does pregnant mean?"

"It means that there is a baby in her belly." Ralsei put a paw on her stomach.

"Oooooohhhh." Lancer stuck his tongue out in a silly way. Then he waved at Kris's stomach. "Hi, baby!"

Kris laughed.

Susie let out a small chuckle. "Already making friends with them?"

"Yes! They aren't so talkative yet!" Lancer put on a goofy smile.

"One day you will be able to have full conversations with them." Ralsei beamed. "I'm sure that they will get along just fine with you!"

Kris daydreamed a bit. Imagining the possibilities of the future with their child. And possibly more kids to come after that. She feels sentimental as she cuddled closely to Ralsei. After everything they've been through, they can finally have a great life together.

Chapter Text

Noelle took a breath. The ceremony was about to happen. Her dress fit perfectly, showing the curves of her body. It was a mermaid form wedding dress. It exposed part of her back with a lace fabric. The lace follows down her arms.

Their wedding is a small one. They decided there wasn't enough time to plan within short time. Their attendees are Frisk, Sans, Kris, Ralsei, Susie, Lancer, Asgore and Toriel.

She was standing in front of the doorway. Waiting to step in to see Azzy's reaction to her. She wonder what he is thinking this moment.

(I'm getting married to the most amazing girl. How is this even possible?) His muscles were tense as he stood there, awaiting his bride. He had on a simple suit, but his focus wasn't on his own looks.

The music echoed throughout the room. Indicating the bride should walk through. As those doors opened, Noelle elegantly walked into the room.

All of the tension left his body when he saw her. A smile appeared on his face, his eyes getting a certain gloss that indicated tears.

Noelle met his gaze. Her eyes sparkled with the glint of her own tears. Their friends and family looked at them in awe. And admired Noelle's beauty.

As she stepped up to where Azzy was, she faced him with a hint of blush in her face.

"WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY TO-" There was the sound of loud crying from Papyrus, cutting him off. "I'M SORRY. WEDDINGS MAKE ME CRY!"

"WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY," he started again. "TO CELEBRATE THE LOVE OF NOELLE AND AZZY, AND JOIN THEM IN MARRIAGE."

"YOUR MARRIAGE WILL BE THE VERY GREAT UNION OF TWO VERY GREAT SOULS!"

Papyrus continued to wipe his face as he nodded towards Azzy.

Azzy took Noelle's hands in his and looked into her eyes. "Noelle. I didn't believe that a love like this was possible for me. But now that I stand here today, I know that I will never let it go. I will always stay with you and hold you close. Cherishing every second of our life together."

He slid the ring onto her finger.

Noelle's face gotten wet. At first, she couldn't even speak at word without bawling happily. Her makeup was waterproof at least. She started to speak, "Azzy, you are always someone I have dreamed of. I love your kindness and gentleness. The way you tease me. I promise to always be a faithful wife. I will always dedicate my life with you."

She also put the ring onto his finger. She kept holding his hands.

"KISS!" Papyrus bluntly yelled.

Azzy put one paw on her shoulder and one on her face. He slowly closed his eyes and met her lips.

Noelle felt an extreme happiness. The kiss lasted a long time. Frisk and even Kris were crying. Toriel was too. Asgore tried to offer her a handkerchief, but she refused it. There was a round of a light applause. Well, except from Susie and Lancer. They were being loud.

As their lips parted, she kept looking at him.

"Those eyes of yours." Azzy had a loving smile. "I could stare into them forever."

"You look very dapper and handsome today. I can't take my eyes off of you." Noelle sniffled again.

He kissed her cheek, tasting the salt of her tears. "And you look beautiful. Just like always."

As Noelle was thinking of something to say, Azzy lifted her up bridal style. He looked down at her. "Honeymoon time!"

"A-Azzy!" Noelle clung to him and blushed. She looked at their guests. Hoping it wasn't rude that they're leaving so soon. Frisk and Kris gave her thumbs up. Kris's expression was more smug. Asgore held up a huge sign that says: "GRANDCHILDREN!" Toriel smacks him on the back of the head and started to scold him.

Noelle hid her face. They're embarrassing! But she giggled.

Azzy's face flushed with embarrassment, but he laughed too. "Ready?" He asked Noelle.

Noelle looked up at him with her SOUL pounding. She smiled lovingly and nodded.

Azzy began to walk away with her in his arms.

Sans reached over and took Frisk's hand. He didn't seem like the type to cry at someone else's wedding. He had actually held it together for almost the entire thing. But then, he started to cry too.

All of those years life felt hopeless. Things getting better seemed entirely impossible. After all, things only went downhill for so long. How could life possibly change so drastically?

It had somehow. The dying world they lived in was saved. He gave her hand a squeeze. "I don't understand how this was possible." He smiled at her through his tears. "We're all happy and safe after everything that happened. It's crazy to think about."

Frisk sobbed happily too and looked at him. "Me neither. But we're here. Alive and breathing. Feeling each other's love and warmth." She rubbed his hand. "I look forward to more days to come for our future."

He nodded. "Every day I feel so happy to wake up beside you. This feeling...It felt so impossible before."

Frisk nodded. "I feel the same way. And to raise a family in the future baffles my mind."

It's too early to tell if Frisk is expecting or not, but they had kept trying. Perhaps, they will know within a month. The idea of it makes them both giddy.

"A family..." He closed his eyes for a second as he imagined that. "I forgot to ask you something before, which just came to mind." He opened his eyes again. "When did you first feel those feelings for me? I hope it was after I changed..."

"I have loved you longer than you realized." Frisk replied. "When I was going to RESET, to save Asgore, I had gotten into that coma."

She started to reminisce over past memories. "I know it sounds corny, but it was love at first sight for me with you. The moment you shook my hand. Your shenanigans between you and your brother." She started to get emotional a bit. "My feelings kept growing for you. When I returned and saw you again, I just knew I had to save you. It was a feeling in my heart. I was willing to do anything to reach you."

"That long, huh?" There were more tears starting to collect again. "I didn't believe that it was possible to reach me. But...You did. The fact that you never gave up on me...I can't describe how that makes me feel."

Frisk sniffled and started to hug him. "I was pretty determined. Chara almost made me give up until you came to save me from him. Even if you didn't intend to actually save me at first, I don't know why, I did feel something. I felt you were still in there. Somewhere."

He returned the gesture with his head on her shoulder. "I lost myself. But you found me before I even found myself again. I don't know how you did that."

"Was it my charm?" Frisk teased while whispering into where his ear is supposed to be.

"It was...Something alright." He chuckled.

"Eh?" Frisk backs up. "It wasn't?" She pouted.

"I never said that." He kept his smile. "You certainly have a lot of charm going for you. But I think it was more your kindness than anything. The way you acted towards me made me want to feel like myself again. I...Wanted to be close to you because of that. Instead of trying to kill you."

Frisk giggled. "Well, I'm pleased that I won your SOUL somehow." She whistled. "It makes me wonder when I did make you blush the first time. Hmm."

Sans tapped his chin. "If I remember right, it was when you tried to hug me after I got you away from Chara. I pushed you away, but you did manage to make me blush."

Frisk giggled and teased. "I thought it was a different time, but that works too."

"Huh?" He asked. "What were you thinking of then?"

Frisk kept giggling and nudged him. "Not saying. You should know it." She started to skip away.

Sans got up and hurried to catch up with her. "I don't know it! Tell me!"

Frisk looked back and grinned at him. She stuck her tongue out in a silly manner as her way of saying no.

"Will you do it for a kiss?" He asked.

"Hmm!" Frisk smiled. "I will." She goes to him. "Close your eyes."

Sans nodded with a smile and closed his eyes.

Sans felt something wet on his cheek. As if, Frisk licked it?! Frisk watched his expression unfold.

Sans's face turned extremely blue. His eyes opened the widest she had ever seen them.

He looked at her. In her arms, there was a small white dog. "Frisk!" He exclaimed. "Where did that dog even come from?"

"He came up within the perfect timing." Frisk lets down the dog with a smile. "Your adorable face was worth it! How was that prank?" She blew him a kiss.

"That was a good one," he mumbled. He was still blushing. "Can I get a real kiss now?"

She reminded. "Think of this as payback for all your pranks! Catch me! And no teleporting!" She ran away giggling.

Sans took off after her, stumbling a little at first. "I'm gonna catch you! And when I do, I'm giving you a HUGE kiss!"

And so, Frisk and Sans, along with their friends, raised families together in the future.

The Darkground had expanded more, giving them more resources. Even some parts of the ceiling had opened to access the sky.

All of them were so filled with gratitude to live peaceful lives together.

Some may say this is the end, but life goes on.

THE END