Asriel sat motionless as a statue on the clifftop, waiting for Karen as the sun began to peek over the horizon. He stared at it, and the deep orange line became a small semicircle. Seconds passed, and Asriel began to get worried. Karen had said that she would be there with him to see the sunrise. But she was nowhere in sight. It was only after the sun had risen about halfway that Asriel heard the roar of Karen's Chevelle approaching from behind him. Asriel turned at the sound of the engine, and smiled.
He stood up and watched as Karen stepped out of the car. She was in her school uniform, which was odd, seeing as she had graduated only a month before from St. Perrymore's High School. It was an odd uniform; a black, button-down blouse with golden buttons, as opposed to the standard black buttons that most schools had, with a pale, daisy-yellow sports jacket. Covering the upper half of her legs was a black, pleated skirt with grey leggings underneath. Her hair, albeit an early morning mess, was still somehow still as vibrant a red as the day he had met her at Frisk and Sans' wedding, and covered by a saggy, off-white beanie. Not only that, but Karen had grown about half a foot since that day, and almost matched Asriel in height. She was slender and her skin was as pale as the moon on a cold winter's night, but her smile shone with the radiance of the sun. Her eyes, a deep cerulean blue, seemed to glow to Asriel. It was one of the many things about Karen that he had come to fall in love with over the five years that they'd been dating. It was almost an intoxicating feeling, staring into her eyes, getting lost in them… But it was her personality that intrigued him the most. She was a talker, but also a huge teddy bear. The two of them were always cuddling, and Asriel relished those cuddles. They were cuddles that he had missed as a child, after Chara had led him to his death. He always held Karen tightly, not just because he loved her, but also because he didn't know if something like that would ever happen to him again. Karen, knowing full well why Asriel did this, always made sure to hold him just as tightly. From the moment she had seen him at the wedding, she felt some sort of connection to Asriel. It was a very strange thing to try and explain, as the two of them had never even met until that day. But Karen fell for Asriel, regardless. Perhaps it was his adorable laugh, his sweet smile, or even his cute floppy ears. She didn't care about his family's wealth, or their royal standing as King and Queen of the Monsters. To Karen, the only thing that mattered was that she had found someone that she could share her darkest secrets with, and trust that someone to keep those secrets.
Karen smiled as she stepped towards Asriel with a perky skip in her step, almost tripping on the gravelly road.
"I'm sorry for the lateness, sweetie. I had a small breakdown along the way. Engine overheated. Heh… Looks like we need to get the thing checked again." explained Karen, as she kissed Asriel delicately on the snout.
"Hey, it's fine! Just so long as you get here safely. That's all that matters to me." smiled Asriel, turning back to look at the sun.
"Ooh! This is a good one! Look! It's changing colors the higher it gets!" squealed Karen, gripping onto the arm of Asriel's flannel button-down shirt tightly. "It's so beautiful!"
"Yeah… like someone I know." said Asriel, wrapping his arm around Karen. Karen laughed and nuzzled into Asriel's chest.
"Aww… You big softie…" she cooed. "I knew you were the right guy for me."
"Yeah… I mean, I had my doubts when we first started dating, but… those doubts have just faded from my mind. You're a really great girl, Karen, and I wouldn't trade you for anyone else in the world!" said Asriel. Karen looked up at Asriel, curious.
"What kind of doubts did you have?" she asked.
"Well, I mean, they weren't all about you… most of them were about me. Y'see… I had just been brought back to life about a month before we met. Before that, I was this murderous, evil plant thing that was nowhere near as kind as I am now. Frisk actually brought me back by splitting her soul and giving me half of it. So… I only have half a soul." explained Asriel. "It wasn't just that… Because I was still getting used to my body, I was afraid of making myself look like a fool in front of you, and everyone else, for that matter." Karen's brow furrowed, and she put her hands on his furry chin.
"Azzy, I fell in love with you because of your goofiness. And sure, you might have seemed a bit shy, and a bit naïve, but you and I have grown so much since then. I mean, look at us! We're practically inseparable, now!" smiled Karen. "I love you, Asriel Dreemurr, and that will not change. Not now, not ever." Asriel smiled halfheartedly.
"Oh… Karen…" sighed Asriel, before leaning in and kissing Karen passionately. Karen pulled back after the kiss, and looked at Asriel's face. It looked sad.
"What's wrong, Asriel?" she asked.
"Huh?" said Asriel.
"You don't look happy. In fact, you look bummed out about something… Did someone say something?" questioned Karen.
"It's nothing… I'm just tired…" responded Asriel. Karen huffed.
"I hate it when you lie to me about your feelings, Azzy. I can't help you when you do, and I love helping you out. As your girlfriend, it's my job to help you when you don't feel like yourself." grumbled Karen. "Answer me this: If I was feeling like absolute crap, you'd want to be there for me, right?"
"Yeah! Absolutely! But…" started Asriel.
"No buts! That is the one thing I will not hear come out of your mouth." smiled Karen.
"It's just… I never thought we would actually get this far. I mean, five years. What a milestone that is, right? I just don't know if it will keep lasting…" sighed Asriel.
"Asriel…! How could you possibly think that? I'll be with you forever! I'm not going anywhere! I mean, sure, I have a few friends who are guys, but you! You are my one and only, Asriel!" said Karen, hugging him tightly. "I could never replace you."
"Thanks, Karen… I… I needed that." said Asriel, turning back to look at the sunrise. As he turned, he noticed something glimmer in the forest below. Roughly five-hundred feet down, a large white creature moved, almost as if on the wind, towards a large oak tree. It stopped at the trunk, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and disappeared into a hole between some roots. Asriel stared at the spot for a moment, and then turned to Karen.
"Did you see that?" asked Asriel, pointing down into the valley below towards the tree.
"Yeah… I did… It looked so weird. It looked kind of like you, but way bigger. It definitely had some muscle behind it." nodded Karen. "Do you think we should check it out…?" Asriel shook his head wistfully, and turned back to the Chevelle.
"Not now… but perhaps later, if we see it again." he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. As he unlocked the screen, his eyes widened. Toriel had called twice, and texted him once.
"Where are you, young man? You may be nineteen years old, but that does not excuse you from at least leaving a note for your old mother. We'll talk when we get home." read the text message. Asriel sighed shakily.
"Mom's pissed. I can't believe I forgot to leave a note! I always leave a note!" he grumbled to Karen, smacking his forehead with his paws.
"Don't worry, Azzy… I'm sure Toriel, err… Mom… will be able to forgive you, right? I mean…" started Karen, before Asriel hugged her tightly, partially out of love for her, and partially out of fear for the ear chewing that was in his near future.
"Oh, Karen… If only you knew how worried Mom got when I was just a kid…" he sighed, now stepping to the door of the Chevelle briskly, his tail swishing through the air from a small slit in the back of his denim jeans. It was long, and the fur that lined it was long and ragged, untrimmed since he had returned to the real world. He flung open the passenger side door, and sat down on the brown leather seat.
He turned to Karen, who was still staring at the large oak tree that the creature had disappeared into. Finally, she sighed deeply, as if in thought, and then turned back to the Chevelle. She looked at Asriel, whose kind, green eyes were staring at her. He smiled, and she smiled back.
"It really was a beautiful sunrise, Azzy… Thanks for inviting me." she said, stepping to the driver's side of the Chevelle and dropping down into the driver's seat. "That'll be our next big adventure, Azzy. Just you and me, exploring that big old forest down below. Do you think Frisk and Sans would want to come along?"
"As much as I know they would, they have Segoe and Arial to look after." said Asriel flatly. "Did you hear about Segoe's problem at preschool the other day? He put a kid in a cage of blue bones for picking on Calibri, and said that if they moved, they'd get hurt worse than they'd hurt Calibri… You remember her, right? She was Papyrus and Mettaton's second child."
"The one that everyone calls 'runt'? Poor kid, she doesn't deserve the treatment she gets." sighed Karen, as she started the engine. "But good on Segoe for protecting his cousin. I really do admire that kid. He's got spunk. What was it that Gaster called him when he was born?"
"An Observational Defender: Someone who observes a person's strengths and weaknesses, and exploits each to protect the ones he cares about." recited Asriel. "He hit that one right on the nose, I'd say."
"No kidding." chuckled Karen, as the Chevelle sped down the mountain road towards the Dreemurr Castle.
