With a sigh, Frisk dropped onto the wicker bench they'd shoved out onto the balcony when the five of them—Frisk, Sans, Papyrus, Chara, and Asriel—first moved into the house. Who had gotten it? They didn't remember, but no one else had wanted it and it had at least been something to sit on. They tossed a rickety side table next to, which quickly collected cups, ashtrays, magazines, and the occasional beer bottle. It wasn't pretty, but it made for a cozy enough place to sit and watch the sun disappear over the horizon each night. It was too early that evening for the sunset just yet, but the wind was calm and refreshing, just what Frisk needed after a long day of stuffy meetings. Sans had fallen asleep three times in one meeting alone before lunch. They couldn't blame him—at least he had the excuse that he didn't need to actually pay attention. No, that was their job.

They fished around in their pocket, grimacing at how small it was—why was their tailor obsessed with giving them tiny pockets? Hadn't they asked for bigger pockets last time? Maybe they should write themselves a memo when it came time to get their next suit. After a bit of wrestling, they pried their cigarette pack out. Sighing in relief, they dug out a stick and lit it before tossing the lighter and pack onto the table, dragging an ashtray closer.

For a while, they closed their eyes and tilted their head back, yanking their ponytail down to let the wind play with their hair and enjoying the nicotine fix. However, after a few minutes, there was a quiet knock at the glass of the open sliding door. When Frisk looked up, they smiled at the familiar monster form in the doorway that led to their bedroom. "Hey, As-" They paused and looked closer at the boss monster's face. "Sorry. Hey, Chara. Do you need something? I thought it was your turn tomorrow."

Asriel and Chara liked to take turns over who had control while at school; usually one would be in charge for a full day, unless a test or assignment came up that was easier for one or the other. Frisk probably should have scolded them for it—it did essentially mean that one half would never be up to par on some subjects while the other might find it too easy—but it wasn't like Chara and Asriel could ever un-merge unless they wanted to die. They would always have each other then, so why not let one specialize in certain areas?

Chara shook their head, the long fluffy ears swinging in their face—they still had trouble at times controlling Asriel's body. That, Frisk assumed, was perhaps the most frequent trouble the two children had when it came to their new life. At least they managed well. They stepped out onto the balcony, red eyes serious. "We need to talk to you about something."

Frisk raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the cigarette. There was still more than a quarter left to it, they noted sadly before reach out to carefully snuff it out. Asriel didn't mind cigarette smoke, but Chara detested it. Once it was out, they waved the child over. "Come here and tell me about it."

Without another word, Chara padded forward on silent feet and hopped into the far end of the bench, tucking themselves into the corner before pulling their legs up before them. The defensive posture made Frisk wary, but they kept silent and patient. After a moment to get themselves comfortable, Chara spoke. "Asriel and I have been talking about what to do with mom and dad."

Ah. That explains it. In the many months since the barrier broke, Asriel had been very adamant about living with Frisk. Chara had agreed with apparently no fuss, but Frisk hadn't wanted to press the issue with either child. It wasn't for lack of Asgore or Toriel trying to reach out to their children—Frisk had to sit them down after two months and gently remind them that it was the children's decision not to live with their parents. The agreement had been that Chara and Asriel could live with Frisk, but Frisk had to keep them abreast of the children's doings, of their grades, and their health. Frisk had found this fair, even if Asriel hesitated—they'd had to talk him around to it, although it wasn't until Chara backed the decision that Asriel relented. Still, Asgore and Toriel sometimes overstepped their bounds, trying to reconnect to their children—sometimes Toriel would send along knitted things or pies or books, sometimes Asgore would send them seeds and potted plants, special herbal teas. Asriel was never very pleased with any of these gifts and was more than happy to ignore them or let someone else have them; Chara never ventured an opinion on any of it, but Frisk had seen them use the mittens or water the plants more than once.

It was a complicated relationship, one that left Frisk at a loss at times to navigate, but they'd been under the impression that it seemed to be working for the children. "Did something happen?"

Chara shook their head to Frisk's relief. "No. But we have been talking about it. We want your opinion."

Frisk nodded, tracing the seam of one of their gloved fingers. "Okay. What is it you want my opinion on exactly?"

Chara took a deep breath. "Should we forgive mom and dad for what happened after we died?"

Jesus Christ, open up with the tough questions first, I see. "Specifically?"

"Dad's edict. Mom leaving. Both of them trying to kill Flowey."

So, all of it essentially. Lord almighty, I wish I had a beer. Just one though. I wouldn't wish this conversation on drunk me. "Well," they began, trying to think fast. "About your mother leaving, their separation—that was their decisions. It came from their own mistakes and it's something they need to work out between themselves first. I know it affects you, but right now, they'll have to work on that on their own. You don't have the right to condemn or forgive them, I'm afraid."

Chara nodded, mouth grim. For a moment, their eyes turned soft and brown and Frisk could see Asriel speaking on his own. "Do… do you think that they'll get back together?"

Huh, that question again. I swear, sometimes I hear echoes in this world of my old one. My original's world. Ugh, semantics. "I think that's up to them," they answered noncommittally before looking at him for a long moment. "If they do or they do not though, I want you to know that you'll always have a place here, okay?"

He nodded, trying to smile for them.

"But, between the three of us?" they began, leaning forward. "Well, let's say I wouldn't surprise if they did." They leaned back into their corner of the bench. "In this world, they seem to see more eye to eye. In that other world, you know, mom—Toriel, she, uh, she was very bitter about the whole killing children then. A little high and mighty about it, really, all things considered."

Asriel—or perhaps Chara—frowned in confusion, but that was one conversation Frisk wasn't ready for just yet.

"At any rate, there was, uh, more incentive for them to remain separated there. Less so here. So, like I said, if it did happen, I wouldn't be shocked. But, I wouldn't be shocked the other way either."

He nodded, face unreadable. Frisk reached out to ruffle his fur, which got a small smile out of him. However, the smile faded and it was Chara looking back out from their eyes.

Frisk leaned back again. "About the edict though. Well, that's a tough one. Back there, in that other world, he'd said the same thing about human souls. The other part—the kill or be killed thing… that's this world's thing, I'm afraid. Now, I did forgive Asgore back then, but that Asgore also caused less widespread damage to monsters. I won't lie, it was a dick move. But, I know why he did it—I mean, I can see why he thought so in that moment of weakness. And… and I know he regrets it now."

"Do you?" Chara asked, eyes narrowed.

God, it's not normal to see so much suspicion in a child's eyes. But, I suppose that's how it is. Poor Chara, poor Asriel. "Yes," they answered firmly after a moment, locking gazes with theirs. "Through his actions and his words, I believe he truly does. You two… well, I'm afraid you just weren't there when those moments happened."

They tried to be delicate, but Chara's face showed a flicker of something—something that might have been regret, but Frisk wasn't sure. Chara did have one hell of a poker face. "I see."

"However, I'll leave it for you to decide on that as well. Asriel, after all, had to live with those edicts far longer than I or Chara did."

They nodded, thoughtful before looking up at them again. "And what they both did to Flowey?"

Frisk sighed, glancing past them to see the sun finally sinking towards the western edge of the sky. Houses and buildings cut into the countryside, marring the perfect vista, but at the same time, it filled Frisk with a sense of calm. Calm that they needed now. "Let's be perfectly frank. Attacking Flowey, killing him—even in this world, they both knew it was wrong. Plenty of monsters were eager to avoid 'kill or be killed'—and he should have been beneath their notice. But, they both attacked him, numerous times." Their gaze fell back onto the boss monster's face. "I assume that they… probably caused some resets."

Chara closed their eyes and nodded solemnly.

Frisk's fingers twitched, but they forced themselves to sit still—Chara did not liked to be touched. If they wanted comfort, they would come to Frisk on their own terms. Taking a deep breath, Frisk continued. "Right. I know you could argue that they had no idea that Flowey was Asriel, or that even if they did that they wouldn't believe. But, I'm also sure that's probably not a big comfort."

"No. It is not."

For lack of a better response, they nodded and idly grabbed their lighter from the table to trace the smooth, rounded edges of its sides. Flicking the top open and shut a few times, they finally came up with a reply. "To be honest, I'm probably not the best person to ask this—I, um. I kinda have a long, storied history of having people out to kill me who I then befriended."

One of the two children snorted—it wasn't a very Chara-like sound, but when they opened their eyes it still seemed like it was the human. "You are weird."

Frisk grinned. "Well, I never claimed otherwise. Look, what I did—turning the other cheek, or whatever you want to call it—that worked for me. It may not work for you."

"But it is something you did," they said simply, glancing away. "You came out of it okay. It is something to consider."

Frisk paused for a long moment, watching the pensive child before they sighed, dropped the lighter back onto the table, and leaned forward. It caught Chara's attention and they looked back up without their prompting. "Let me tell you a… a story of when I was a kid. Even younger than either of you are."

That caught their attention; they straightened and dropped their legs so that they could turn to face Frisk better.

Once the ambassador had their complete attention, they began. "When I was five, my mother died. When I was six, my grandfather, who'd I been living with, got sick and couldn't take care of me anymore. So, my mom's old friends, they did some digging and managed to find my father. They contacted him, managed to drag him back from the other side of the country. They tried to talk him into taking care of me. Into finally acting like my father. Do you know what he did?"

Chara was stock-still; this was, after all, something they'd never heard about. They hadn't even told Sans about this. "No."

"The asshole looked me dead in the face and said that is no child of mine. Which, now, let's be fair—is nowhere near as bad as what your parents did. But, again, I was six and what it meant was he'd rather toss me out on the streets than even look at me. They talked to him for a good hour, trying to talk him around, but in the end, the only thing they got out of him was his consent into turning me over into foster care. Now, what happened after that, eh, that's another story," they said, waving their hand in the air as if they could physically shake off the past. "But, fact is, I never forgave. For a decade, I never heard a single word from him and I was glad for it. After that, I found out he was dead."

Chara frowned. "What then?"

Frisk shrugged. "I still didn't forgive him. But, you know, I never… tried to reach out to him, so when he died, that was it. No time to ask questions, no answers to receive. I had nothing. And I'll never get them either." They paused, frowning; they longed to reach out and hug Chara. They looked they might need it, with the way their eyes were reflecting the light. Still, they didn't dare intrude on their personal space. So, to compromise, Frisk held their hands out to Chara. To their slight surprise, the child reached back and slipped their hands into Frisk's. Smiling warmly, Frisk gave their hands a squeeze. "I… I still wouldn't forgive him. What he did to me, I still won't forgive. So, look, what I'm saying is this—if you two don't decide to forgive your parents, I will completely understand and support you. I will defend your right to not forgive them to my death. But, you have to understand, that means you have to be okay with things staying as they are. If you can't forgive, you cannot move forward with them."

Chara's hands clenched in theirs. "Why?"

Frisk smiled sadly at them. "It wouldn't be fair to them otherwise. You'd create a one-way relationship. They may or may not deserve your sympathy, but that doesn't mean that they aren't worth basic compassion, Chara. Whether any of us like it or not, sometimes we have to let go of our hurts so as to not hurt others more than we might already have."

Frowning, they glanced away, but nodded silently.

Giving their hands a gentle squeeze, Frisk called their attention back to them. "Look, this is a really big decision. Luckily, I'm fairly sure you have time to think it over. Boss monster aging still takes awhile, right? Didn't Toriel say that it'll still take a few hundred years before their magic runs out?"

Chara looked away again and nodded.

"And this world, despite everything, isn't so violent and dangerous as it, uh, once was. They're still powerful enough to look after themselves. So, you two, take your time and think it over. It's a big thing to put on you two, especially at your age," they sighed. "I'm sorry you have to bear it. But, like I said, whatever you two decide, I'm going to be right here to support you, okay?"

Chara closed their eyes and nodded. When those eyes opened again, it was Asriel looking out. Without a beat, he let go of their hands and tossed his arms around their middle. "Thanks, Frisk."

Surprised, Frisk chuckled but squeezed him back. "Don't worry about it. Whatever happens, we'll tackle it all together as it comes, okay?"

He nodded, not pulling back. "Okay."

Smiling, Frisk patted his back and leaned back into the bench. Asriel followed with them and ended up lying against their stomach, still clinging to them. Chuckling, Frisk ruffled the fur on the top of his head. "Geez, this was a pretty big discussion to have on a day like this, eh?"

Asriel laughed, a weak but happy thing. "Yeah."

"Mmm, I kinda feel that after something big like that, we should have ice cream."

The prince perked up. "I think I saw some in the freezer downstairs." He paused and frowned. "But Papyrus said supper would be done in a bit."

Frisk playfully tugged on one of his ears. "Then we'll have it after supper. Now, do me a favor? Run downstairs and see how much longer until dinner's done. Did he say what we're having?"

"It was going to be spaghetti again," he said airily, sitting up. "But I talked him into tuna noodle casserole instead."

"My hero. Still, mind finding out how much longer it's going to be?"

He nodded and jumped up. "Be right back! You, uh, you can go back to smoking now."

Frisk chuckled. "Thanks, bud. I'll be down in a bit either way."

He waved as he ducked back into their room, his footsteps vanishing quickly as he scrambled away. However, as his footsteps faded, another pair took their place. Frisk only had to wait a minute for Sans to appear, strolling casually out. He already changed into more comfortable clothes and looked quite content as he saluted them idly. "Yo."

"Hey, yourself. Hell of a day, huh?"

"Eh, I got a few good naps in. You, on the other hand—first boring meetings, then a heavy discussion with the kid about their parents? Pass."

Frisk had to laugh. "Sometimes life is rough."

"Well, thought I should warn you Papyrus burnt the casserole, so we're having Thai tonight. It'll be here in about ten minutes."

"Hah! What a day," they shook their head and reached for their smokes and lighter. Glancing up at him, they smiled and gestured him over. "Wanna have a smoke with me? I was just about to watch the sunset."

He shrugged, but he wasted no time in walking over and lying down with his back to their stomach. They had half a mind to protest that they were no body pillow, but to be honest, it was exactly what they'd hoped would happen. They tossed one arm around his chest and pulled a cigarette free with their lips. Lighting the cigarette, Frisk enjoyed a long drag before handing the stick down to him. Together, they silently watched the sun disappear over the horizon and evening crept in.

A/N: I've literally had this chapter written for two months. Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but I will consider taking requests for future side stories set in this universe if I like the prompt/idea asked of me.