Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Clover awoke with a start, consciousness hitting them like a pile of bricks. They began to sit up, only to bang their head on something cold. What? They tried to open their eyes. Blackness. They extended their hands in front of them, feeling the rough texture of stone. Okay, not good. This was definitely not good.

They felt around, sure enough, there was stone there, too. Lovely. Absolutely lovely. Panic swelled up inside their chest as they tried to think. They were trapped in a small stone box with no clear way out. They could feel their breath coming in gasps.

Their breaths. They were breathing. They were alive. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. Cool. Okay, they were definitely panicking now. They were going to die here, alone and trapped. Nobody would even notice it because they were supposed to be dead already. This wasn’t the first time they died; they knew that. So why did everything feel so much more high-stakes?

They began to bang on the walls around them. Their hands stinging with the feeling of flesh grating against concrete, but otherwise, nothing happened. They tried prying at the seams where the ceiling met the walls. Blood began to drip down their arms. Desperately, they pressed their hands against the ceiling, pushing with all their might. The sound of stone scraping against stone filled their ears.

Light assaulted their eyes as they pushed the slab onto the floor, a crash echoing throughout the room. Triumphantly, they sat up, their chest heaving with exhaustion. They blinked, trying to get their bearings. The room consisted mostly of stone, and the only light pooled out from a set of stairs to Clover’s right.

Their legs ached in protest at the mere thought of standing up. Unfortunately, that was their only way out. Clover sighed, gingerly climbing out of the– oh. Fuck. That was a coffin. They had just climbed out of their own coffin. They looked to their right, more coffins. Same to their left, all the same size. The size of a child.

Bile welled up in their throat. Stop thinking about it; Just stop thinking about it. Shakily, they began to climb over one coffin. Then another. Just like that, they were at the foot of the stairs. They reached up to tip their hat towards the other fallen, only to find nothing. Oh, right. They forgot they gave their hat to Martlet.

Martlet. Starlo. Ceroba. What happened to them after they died? Did Martlet quit the royal guard? Does Starlo still work as the sheriff? Has Ceroba confronted Alphys yet, or has she moved on? Or were they all…

They shook their head; there would be time for speculation later. Right now, they have to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. One step. Then another. Clover steadied themself with a hand on the wall, slowly, steadily making their way up the stairs.

By the time they finally reached the top, there was sweat trickling down their face, and their breath was coming in gasps. They allowed themself to collapse on the top step. Resting their head against the wall, Clover began to riffle through their pockets. A heal item sounded great just about now. Nothing. There was nothing in their pockets. They tried their satchel. Also nothing.

They cursed under their breath. That’s fine. This is fine. They would just have to be extra careful not to get hurt. They would find more food as soon as they could. It wouldn’t be that hard; they really weren’t picky.

Just in case, they gave themself a quick once-over; something they had neglected to do earlier. What they found was… not great. Which was fair, considering half an hour ago, they had been dead, but still. Their hands were scraped up and bloody, flesh peeling off in spots. Their head was gently pounding, and they could hear their heartbeat in their ears.

Okay. Overall, not too great, but that’s fine. They would just have to find Flowey soon. Was Flowey even still around? How long were they out for? Was it a day? A week? A year? What happened while they were gone?

After waiting for a moment to catch their breath, they decided it was time to move on. The next room they came across was surprisingly colorful, the floor strewn with golden flowers that Clover tried not to step on. In the center of the room, there was a grand-looking throne. As they advanced, voices began to filter through the doorway in front of them.

“But I'm not sure how to get the amalgams back to their families. Its– It's a lot to handle, and I’m not sure if I can do it by myself. Not– not that I couldn’t, it's just…”
“Alphy, Alphys, it’s okay. I can just grab someone from the guard and have them give you a hand. You worked with Martlet a while back, right?” Clover’s head snapped up at the mention of their friend.

“Y–yeah! She was, she was really nice, if a bit chaotic...”
“That’s Martlet for ya.” The other voice chortled. “I know we’re disbanding the guard, but I’m sure I can call in a favor or two for her. Since she already knows about all that science-y stuff, she should be perfect!”

They could hear footsteps growing closer. Hastily, they darted under the throne, crouching just out of sight.
“Okay! Yeah. That– that should work.” There was silence for a moment before the voice picked up again. “W-wait! She’s probably gonna be getting ready to move to the surface like everyone else, right? Are-are you sure she’s gonna be okay with staying down here even longer?” The surface. The surface. They did it. Monsterkind was free. But then how were they here? What if the barrier didn’t actually break, and nobody figured it out yet?

“It's fine, Alph, I promise. ‘Sides, we’re not gonna force her to do anything. We’re just gonna ask her!” The gruff voice brought them back to reality. Right. They just needed to find someone they knew. Everything else would be okay. It was going to end up okay. Just calm down, wait for these two to leave, and find someone. Once they figured out where they were.

Of course, they didn’t know where they were. That was perfect. Just perfect. They didn’t have any food, they were less than half health, and they had no fucking clue where they were. Everything would be fine. Oh, who were they kidding; They were literally so dead.

They took a breath. One step at a time. The voices were gone; it was time to move. They crawled out from under their hiding spot. They pushed themself to their feet, using the throne for support. Why did their limbs feel so heavy? Stay focused. If the others were going opposite them, then the exit was somewhere that way. With a sigh, they began to take one staggering step. Then another.

Slowly, they managed to make their way all the way out of the room. In front of them, the staircase they had just climbed. A chill ran down their spine at the mere thought. To their right, a hallway, presumably leading out. Their head was pounding. When had that started? They were leaning on the wall for support, their eyes half-lidded. But they had to keep going.

They began to take a step. Before they knew it, the floor was rushing up to meet them. They could barely register the pain of the fall, the world fading to black. Silence filled their mind.
“Is that?” Came a familiar voice.
“It can’t be!” someone else gasped.
“It is.”

Chapter Text

The first thing that Clover felt as they awoke was warmth. Strange. In their experience, waking up after passing out rarely involved any kind of positive feeling. They snuggled closer into whatever was holding them, relishing in the comfort.

They lay there for a moment, letting the soft feeling wash over them. Clover rarely got the chance to simply… stay in bed after waking up, so they figured they might as well enjoy it while they could.

After a while, they decided it was finally time to face the day. They cracked their eyes open, only to find white walls and a wooden ceiling. Now, they didn’t get a chance to look directly upwards before they passed out, but they were pretty sure the walls and floors and, well, everything really, had been gray.

This was bad. This was very, very, bad. Someone had moved them while they were out. They made to sit up, only to be gently pushed back down.
“Now, now, deputy. There’s no need to rush.” Starlo’s voice gently chided. Sarlo. Starlo was here.

They turned around, craning their neck to look. Sure enough, there was the man himself, clad in full cowboy attire. Starlo was here. They were lying in his lap. They were alive.
“Star?” They breathed, unable to believe their eyes.
“Hey there, kiddo.” Came the reply. Clover let out a laugh of disbelief. They sat up, wrapping their arms around the sheriff. Wordlessly, Starlo returned the hug, pulling them close.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, simply enjoying each other’s presence. Finally, Clover broke the silence.
“Is it really you?” They asked, burying their face in Star’s shoulder, almost afraid of the response.
“Yeah,” Star said after a moment, his voice breaking. “It’s really me.” The man paused for a moment. “Although I suppose ‘darn tootin’ would be more on brand, huh?” Clover smiled at that.
Star returned a grin, although it quickly became downturned. What happened? Did they do something wrong?

“I missed you, deputy,” Starlo whispered. And shit, he sounded like he was about to cry.
“Missed you too,” was all they could manage to say. Oh, they were crying too. Star pulled them closer, holding them in a steady, comforting embrace. They sat there, relishing in the feeling of loving and being loved.

After a moment of simply enjoying each other’s presence, they heard the creak of a door.
“Sorry it took us so long to get back,” Martlet began, whisper-shouting from the entryway. “Traffic was crazy. We had to wait for the elevator for, like, ten minutes! And then–” Martlet stopped dead in her tracks, staring at them with a mix of disbelief and joy. They went to say something, only to be cut off.

“Clover!” She shrieked, racing over to them and tackling them in a hug.
“Hi,” They laughed, awkwardly wrapping an arm around her.
“Don’t you dare do that again!” Martlet broke the hug to shake Clover by the shoulders.
“Okay, okay!” they laughed, holding their hands up in surrender. “As long as someone actually tells me what the heck is goin’ on here, I won’t.” Martlet gave them a disapproving look. “Cross my heart,” they added, drawing an X over their chest.

“Oh, alright,” she relented. “Just this once, you hear me?” She crossed her wings, raising her eyebrows in mock sternness. They saluted, giving her a cheeky smile. Satisfied, Martlet plopped herself down next to them, crossing her legs. Clover smiled, tilting their head to rest on her shoulder. It felt nice, sitting there, wrapped between the comforting presence of some of their closest friends.

And yet, they knew that something was missing. Ceroba was standing awkwardly to the side, her eyes downcast. Wordlessly, they gestured for her to join them. A beat. Then two. And then Ceroba was wrapping her arms around Clover. They could hear the quiet sobs that she tried to hide. They just held her tighter. Something told them she needed this, even if they didn’t know why.

Once everyone was all cried out, Clover decided it was high time that someone explained what had happened.
“It’s…” Martlet began.
“A long story.” Ceroba continued.
“I’m not even sure if anyone has all the details.” Star finished. “All we know is that everyone passed out, woke back up a couple minutes later, and the barrier was broken.”

“And then I got a call from Undyne, even though I’m not in the royal guard anymore, and she told me to come to New Home,” Martlet said, taking a moment to catch her breath.
“Since she was in the dunes with us, we decided to tag along, ‘cause we were just as curious as everyone else,” Star added.
“After we got there,” Ceroba began, “We found you passed out on the floor. I’m amazed nobody found you before us, honestly.”

Clover was quiet for a moment, just trying to process.
“So,” they began tentatively, “you’re all free, right? We broke the barrier?” They weren’t sure whether to be happy for their friends or sad that yet another human life had to be sacrificed.
“Yes,” Ceroba replied. “Another human came down here recently. Somehow, not only did they break the barrier, they managed to remain alive themself. And, from the look of things, they freed you as well.”

Clover’s mind was reeling. Parts of what was said made sense, but they were left with far too many questions.
“What happened with Undyne?” They asked, deciding to focus on something more manageable for the moment. Martlet shot up from her seat.
“Shoot! I forgot I was supposed to report to Hotland!” She darted up and around the couch, slinging a bag over her shoulder. “I’ve gotta go. See ya’ll later!” She paused to wrap them in a tight hug. “Love you, Clover!” With that, she was gone.

“Well then,” Star began. “Guess it’s just the three of us for now.” A grin spread across his face. “Hey, deputy,” he whispered, “guess what?” His expression was playful, his hands hidden behind his back.
“What?” Clover asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.
“You’re it!” Star tapped their shoulder and promptly darted off the couch and out of the living room. Clover let out an indignant shriek, rushing to chase after him. Even from far away, Clover and Starlo could both hear Ceroba’s exhausted (or was it fond?) sigh at their antics.

Clover had finally managed to tag Star, only to turn on their heel and race back to the couch. They darted behind Ceroba, whispering a frantic
“Hide me!” Starlo, to everyone’s indignation, rolled with it, tapping Ceroba on her nose before racing off again. Now dragged into the game, she went after him with staggering speed.

The three of them continued in this manner until they had tuckered themselves out.
“Alright,” Starlo said after a while. He was lying sprawled on the floor, Clover sitting triumphantly on his chest. “As much fun as this has been, I’ve gotta get back. It’s gonna get dark soon, and I promised I’d tell the five what I found… Yesterday. An’ I’m starting to think that if I don’t get back in time, Mooch’s gonna have my hide.”

Clover nodded, deeming that motivation enough to relinquish their captive. They clambered to the floor, a smile on their face. Star pushed himself to his feet with exaggerated effort.
“Well, I will see you tomorrow morning, deputy.” He flashed a pair of finger guns at Clover, which were quickly reciprocated. “Take care of yourself, Roba.” He added, giving Ceroba a mock-threatening expression. She rolled her eyes, but Clover could see the smile on her face.

“I’ll see you later, Starlo.” She replied, matching his tone.
“See you tomorrow!” Clover waved as Star left the room.
“Well then, we should probably get you off to bed,” Ceroba said after a while. “Are you hungry?” She asked. The question caught Clover off guard, but they supposed it made sense.
“No, not really.” They replied.

“In that case, we only need to figure out some pyjamas for you to borrow.” Ceroba sighed, making her way to the bedrooms, Clover following just behind. “You can use some of Kanako’s until we get a chance to go shopping for your own stuff.” She paused as she reached her destination. “You can borrow her room as well. Go ahead and get yourself situated. Do you know where the bathroom is?” They nodded. “Alright, then. I’ll be out here if you need anything.”

Clover made their way into Kanako’s room, glancing around. Dust shone in the streaks of light from the swelterstone, something that was soon to be covered. Toys, clothes, and art supplies were scattered around the room, and it was clear that this place hadn’t been lived in for a while. It felt like a time capsule. A desperate attempt to keep the last pieces of someone long gone.

As they went about getting ready for bed, they were careful to leave as much of the room as undisturbed as possible. It was eerie, but not terrible. They had stayed in worse places. Truly, the worst part of the room was how it brought about a sinking feeling in their stomach. A nostalgia for something they had never experienced.

Once they finished up, they slipped back into the hall. They tapped Ceroba’s arm. She jumped slightly, as if lost in thought.
“You ready for bed, kiddo?” She asked, a tired smile on her face. They nodded. “Alright. I’m gonna turn in as well. I’ll see you in the morning, Clover.” She said, gently adjusting the knots on their samue. Just as she was about to leave, Clover tugged on her sleeve.

Ceroba gave them a weary smile.
“Want me to tuck you in?” She asked. They nodded, and she gently hoisted them up into her arms. They melted into the embrace, resting their chin on her shoulder. As Ceroba walked towards the bedroom, she began to hum a soft melody. She set them down on the bed as the song finished, the lack of warmth enough to snap Clover back to their senses. Something was still bothering them about this whole thing.
“Ceroba?” They asked. “Why are we staying here for as long as we are? When are ya’ll gonna move to the surface?” They felt the bed beside them dip as Ceroba sat down next to them.

“Well,” she began, “It’s going to take a very long time for monsters to build up enough trust with the humans for them to be comfortable enough for us to live with them. Not to mention houses take a long time to make, especially when this many monsters are all going to want to move at the same time. That’s why, before you woke up, Star, Martlet, and I made an agreement. We decided that we would stay down here to help the other monsters move. And to help you get accustomed to living again in a more familiar environment.”

Huh. Clover hadn’t thought about it like that, but they supposed it made sense.
“Okay.” They simply said, letting exhaustion course through their body. “G’night.”
“Good night, Clover. Wake me up if you need anything.” Ceroba pushed herself to her feet before ruffling their hair. “I’ll see you in the morning, kit.”

And with that, they drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Chapter Text

A scream wrenched itself from their throat as they struggled. Shrill, taunting laughter filled their ears as Thorns dug further into their skin. 

Blood trickled down their body as the vines holding them squeezed tighter and tighter. The same vines that had stabbed Martlet. They could still hear her gasp of shock and pain. Could still see her slowly dusting body when they closed their eyes. 

Why? They wondered, tears pricking at their eyes, Why is he doing this? Flowey’s blurred form loomed above them, smug and mocking. He appeared to be saying something, but Clover couldn’t be bothered to make it out. 

Pain erupted from their chest, agony blooming from the center out. A sickening crunch echoed through their head. They coughed, the taste of iron filling their mouth. They couldn’t breathe. They couldn’t breathe, they couldn’t breathetheycouldntbreathe.

They bolted upright, their throat raw from screaming. Their chest heaved as they tried to get their bearings. It was dark, probably the middle of the night. They were in someone’s room. There were toys strewn across the floor and drawings hung on the walls. Kanako’s drawings. This was Kanako’s room. They were in Ceroba’s house. They were alive.

The realization hit them then, in the dark. They were alive. They were safe. Ceroba promised them that.

“Clover?” Their gaze snapped to the doorway. There stood Ceroba. She was in her nightclothes, her hair flowing long and loose behind her. “I heard screaming and—“ she paused, brows furrowing and shoulders drooping. She sounded almost… disappointed when she spoke. “Clover, you’re crying.” 

It was only then that they noticed the tears streaming down their face. Frantically, they tried to wipe them away, sniffling. They shouldn’t be crying just because of some stupid nightmare! 

It wasn’t fair to make Ceroba deal with them. They could take care of themself! They didn’t know where any of this had come from anyway. They had gone through far worse than a nightmare with a straight face. So why were they crying now? It didn’t make any sense.

Before they knew it, soft arms were wrapping around them. 

“It’s okay to cry, Clover,” Ceroba muttered to them, gently pulling them into her lap. They sat there, stock still. Oh. They could feel tears forming faster, now. Why? Why was it so comforting? They melted into Ceroba’s embrace. 

A part of clover, the mature part, was mortified at what was happening. It didn’t matter. They were safe in Ceroba’s arms. They were so safe, and it felt like they could finally relax. Like all the walls they had built up over their journey were finally crashing down. And suddenly, the dam broke. 

Clover buried their face in her neck, sobs wracking their body. Letting out all the emotions they were finally safe enough to feel. It was comforting, in some strange way.

And so, they cried themself out, until their eyes were red and they couldn’t breathe through their nose and their head was pounding. Once their sobs had turned into hiccups that turned into silence, Ceroba spoke.

“Are you feeling a bit better?” She asked, rubbing gentle circles into their back. They give a hum of agreement, nodding into Ceroba’s shoulder. 

“Sorry,” they added as an afterthought. 

“You don’t have to apologize, baby.” Ceroba sighed. “I’m just glad you’re feeling better.” She tucked a strand of hair behind their ear. “Do you wanna tell me what happened?”

At this moment, Clover was met with two strange feelings at the same time. The first being that they didn’t have to talk about their nightmare. However, strangely enough, they actually wanted to tell Ceroba about everything. To tell her how gleefully Flowey went for the kill, how he easily overpowered them. How– stop thinking about it. Just stop thinking about it. They were safe. 

“Had a bad dream.” They wound up saying, clinging tighter to her. 

There were many reactions that Clover was expecting from Ceroba. Maybe she would realize that she was wasting her time and go back to sleep. Maybe she would tell them that it wasn’t real, and that they should toughen up. Whatever she was going to do, Clover knew it would be some kind of negative. 

Which was why they were so surprised when she simply pulled them tighter into her embrace. She began to stroke their hair in a way that seemed almost absentminded before speaking. 

“A bad dream, huh?” She said in what was probably the gentlest, most comforting voice they had ever heard in their life. 

“Mhm.”

“I see,” she began, “you wanna tell me about it?” And once again, Clover felt that strange feeling of wanting to say something. In fact, they had every intention of doing just that when they remembered. Flowey. Who knows what he would do if he found out they told someone? Dream or not, Clover knew flowey was far more powerful than he let on. No, Clover couldn’t say anything. 

They gave their head a morose shake, bracing themself for Ceroba’s anger. While she hadn’t shown any of her usual signs, a pissed off grown-up was never a good thing.

“Alright,” Ceroba said, without even a hint of malintent. “That’s okay. If you ever change your mind, I’ll be right here.” And Clover wanted so badly to believe her; they really did. “In the meantime, do you think you’re ready to go back to sleep, or do you need to wait a little bit longer?” 

Now that she mentioned it, they really were so tired.

“I think ‘m ready.” They said after a moment, their voice slurred from exhaustion.

“Okay. Do you want me to tuck you in?” Ceroba asked, and angel above Clover would love nothing more than to get put to bed like they were a little kid again. 

They nodded eagerly, absentmindedly rubbing one of their eyes. 

“Alright, kiddo. Now, before I get you all nice and cozy, do you want me to stay here with you, or do you want some space?” Clover paused at that. Nobody had ever done that for them before, let alone give them a choice about it. Could they actually ask her to stay? Would she really do that, or was she just saying it to be polite? She wouldn’t have offered it if she felt comfortable doing it, right?

“Stay?” They finally asked, “Please.” Anxiously, they fiddled with the sleeves of their shirt.

“Of course I can, kid,” Ceroba said, once again using the softest voice in the world. “Let me change into something clean first, okay?”

They looked down to see that her shirt was stained with tears and snot. Oh. They did that. Shit.

“Sorry,” They muttered, looking away. 

“Hey, you don’t have anything to apologise for.” Ceroba cupped their face in her hand, gently guiding them to look at her. “I don’t regret anything about tonight, Clover.” Ceroba continued, “You know why?” They shook their head. “It’s because I love you, kiddo. I really do.”

Clover’s chest got heavy at that. They appreciated the sentiment, they really did, but they couldn’t trust it. And yet here they were. Sitting in someone else’s bed, wearing someone else’s clothes, hugging someone else’s mom. They couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“But what about Kanako?” They finally asked, eliciting a sigh from Ceroba. 

“What about her?” She asked, not angrily, no. She wasn’t upset, she was… confused. 

“Are you sure I’m not just replacing her?” Clover muttered, curling in on themself as best they could.

“Oh, no, baby. I’m sure.” Ceroba pulled them close, running a hand through their hair. 

“I love you so much, but I love you for you, not because of someone else. I love the strong little kid who braved the underground all on their own, the kid who never gave up. I love your laugh when you play with Star, the way you find worth in everything, even those who try to hurt you. You’re my child, Clover. But I could never see you as Kanako’s replacement.”

Once she was finished, Ceroba went quiet. For a while, they didn’t know how long; the only sound was the faint thrum of a fan in the other room. 

“I love you, Ma.” They murmured, sinking into Ceroba’s warm embrace. They could feel her rest her snout on their head before she replied. 

“I love you, too, Kit.” She whispered. “Now get some sleep, we’ve got a big day tomorrow.” 

Clover hummed a reply, snuggling further into their mother’s hold. Just as they were beginning to drift to sleep, Ceroba began to sing. It was a soft song, a lullaby, no doubt. Clover didn’t recognise any of the words, but it didn’t matter. The song felt like peace, like safety. It felt like nothing in the world could hurt them. Not even Flowey. 

With that blissful thought in mind, Clover allowed themself to succumb to the gentle nothingness of a dreamless sleep.