This chapter was pretty hard to put out to be honest. I wanted to cut some paragraphs, but I could only shorten them ;_; I really wanted sans to be in the next chapter I guess. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter :D
Are the whispers getting louder? And what were they even saying? Should you try to listen to them? No, no, of course not, but how do you get them to stop?
It didn't help that you were asleep again, stagnant in your minds inexistent world. You didn't want to wake up again. Even though you've done it so many times now, you still felt as if you would wake back up, and Toriel would have vanished. You wince in your sleep a little.
"Great, they are getting louder." you think to yourself, but you became surprised when another voice you could understand began to speak.
"Wake up."You quickly turn around, but there was nothing but darkness behind you. Although afraid, your heart refused the demand. Even with the sheer amount of determination in your soul, you were not brave enough to face your fears. "Frisk, you must continue on. You must wake up." You look down and held yourself tightly in a defensive manner. You were still too afraid to. It could wait, you think to yourself that you still have time.
Yet somehow this world became darker, even though there was no light to begin with. The darkness you grew up with, the very same darkness you told yourself you were comfortable with, it frightened you. You were shaking, terrified as the darkness crept closer to you, as if it was planning on attacking. You don't think you were too far off. The whispers start again as the darkness shoots towards you with unreasonable speed. Your eyes shut, tears threatening to fall. "Please no, no, no, please no." Your cracked voice begged as your hands clenched your head, hoping the whispers would go away. Instead of whispers, a chill goes down your spine from the breath on your shoulder.
"Wake up."
The demanding voice snapped you back into reality as you jolted out from the nightmare. You lay there, static, not daring to even blink. Your heart begins to beat faster; it was too dark, and for once in your life, you needed light. Clenching the sheets, but never once shutting your eyes, you build up the determination to leave the bed to find the lights.
After jumping out of bed and quickly turning the lights on, you turn around, head twisting to every corner of the room. The feeling on your shoulder felt so real. Was that really just a nightmare?
Suddenly, you start to feel a bit dizzy. You didn't want to be alone, but you also didn't want to disturb Toriel. You could see if Flowey was outside, but you didn't want to get too close to the Underground. Jeez, were you always this pathetic? You spend your life Underground yet suddenly afraid of a little darkness?
Heh, it was kinda crazy. It hasn't even been an entire day, yet you felt like you spent so much time here. Though most of it was probably sleeping, the moments you spent with Toriel felt timeless. Deciding not to leave the room, you sit at the corner of the bed, back facing the wall. Pulling the covers up, and placing a pillow on the wall, you decide to camp here for the remainder of the night. You refused to sleep, but ultimately, your exhaustion defeats you. And even though you slept for the remainder of the night, it seemed as if you only blinked.
Once you awoken, a delightful smell filled the air. Your muscles were a bit sore after sleeping in such an awkward position, but it doesn't stop you from jumping out of the bed to eat some food. To be honest, you were probably more excited to see Toriel and eating next to her rather than the act of eating itself. That's probably why when you saw a note instead of Toriel, you had to say you were quiet disheartened. Still, you pick up and read the note.
"My child I would like to apologize to you beforehand, seeing that you had to wake up alone. Once I had prepared breakfast, it had come to my attention that we were running out of food. I have simply made my way to the market to pick up anything that we were missing, and will return shortly. Please, help yourself to as much as you like, and put away any leftovers. I will see you soon! Stay safe my child.
With much love, Toriel."
Eating wasn't that great. Well, it kept you alive. Plus, it's not like the food tasted bad. You just wished Toriel was here with you…
You slap the sides of your face with either hand. You can't think like this! She would be home soon, so there was nothing to worry about. Besides, this was the perfect time to talk to Flowey. The sun was out, and although you didn't want to see the hole, you mustered up the determination to leave the house. Of course, after putting away the leftovers.
Secretly, you were hoping Toriel would have made it home by then, but considering how warm the food was, she probably left just before you had awoken. Lost in thought, you didn't notice till the sun's blinding light scattering everywhere that you were outside. It was as if the golden flowers were endless. There were still patches of broken walls confining you, but you felt so free. This must have been a garden. The door up the small stairway must be the exit of this ruined home. You weren't ready to make it out of there yet.
Breaking free from your mind, you look around for the flower that actually had a face. Flowey made this so difficult though. Each flower looked eerily similar, and you begin to think how weird it must be being a flower monster. You were never good at counting time, but it seemed as if you were searching forever. After letting out an exasperated sigh, you fall to your butt, only to hear a tiny muffled shriek. You quickly jump, and look where you just sat, only to see a crumpled Flowey.
"O-oh jeez, I'm so sor-" You begin coughing. Somehow, your throat still hurt when you spoke. You opt out of speaking and just give the flower a worried gaze.
"Haha, don't worry, it's my fault. I was playing hide and seek, but I didn't think you were gonna just fall on me!" You both laugh for a moment, but seeing that you couldn't really speak, Flowey continues. "So, what brings you out here? Is Toriel not home?" You shake your head. "Ah, so you were feeling lonely and wanted to see me?" Flowey joked. You smiled so widely, your eyes begin to crinkle. You respond with a sarcastic shrug. "So what's up? How are you feeling?" Clearing your throat, you decide it's high time you responded with words.
"Better. Still… hard to talk." Your voice faded as the sentence ended. Flowey just smiled.
"Don't push yourself, I can more or less understand your gestures anyway. Your language isn't the only one I know."
"Hm, what a smart flower."
"Hey, what is that supposed to mean!?" The flower acted offended, but you two only laughed. Flowey asks you a few more questions about your time here, and you answer the ones you know. You told the flower that you had a bit of short term memory loss, and couldn't remember much prior to the events of being pulled up here. Though you felt close enough to tell the flower your fears of returning, you couldn't bring yourself to talk about the whispers. Perhaps you just didn't want to think about them.
"So Flowey… are you a, uh, girl? Or um, a boy?" You blush, scratching the back of your head out of embarrassment. You couldn't tell if what you asked a sensitive question from the expression Flowey was wearing. "I-I mean I don't know if flowers have genders, well, I mean I know they do, but I was never really good at school, and-"
"Do I seem girlish to you? It's because I'm a flower, isn't it…"
"Oh no, no, no, I figured you might be a boy, but I wasn't too sure… er, you know?" He just laughed a bit.
"Yeah, I get you. I don't know how much you know about monsters, but I don't really like talking about myself. I guess it was kind of selfish of me to ask so many question about you. You looked a little troubled with some of them. Just know you never have to answer anything that makes you feel uncomfortable."
"No fair, you can understand me and read my mind too, huh? You got some crazy super powers, for a flower." You both laugh, but you figured he knew you were just trying to lighten the mood. You decided to just continue while you still had the stamina to talk. "Honestly, I wish I could tell you more, but I don't even know how old I am-"
"16." Flowey abruptly sputtered, cutting you off. "I-I mean, you look a little short, but also a bit mature for your height, so I just assumed-"
"I wouldn't say short… Monsters are just really tall-"
"It's not like I was thinking a lot about it, I just thought we were close to the same age or so, since monsters live longer-" You two continue to talk and stutter over each other, until you realize you couldn't take anymore, and burst out laughing. Once the laughter died down, you wipe a tear from the corner of your eye, and smile at him. It almost seemed as if Flowey was blushing again, but you figured he was just as flustered as you were.
"A-anyway, I gotta go. Toriel should be home now! Seeya later, Frisk!" Before you could object, Flowey disappeared underground. You frown and wave at nothing, and began to turn around until it finally hit you.
"When did I tell you my…" Before you could finish, whispers begin to fill your mind once more. You shook your head. Maybe you didn't want to know. You go back inside to find a worried Toriel fretting inside of the dining room. Once she hears the door close, she immediately looks towards you, then smiles.
"Oh my child, I was a bit worried when I could not find you at first. Did you have fun while I was away?" You just smile and nod at her, choosing it was best not to worry her about your current concerns. Instead, you tell her about your day with Flowey.
The day went by much smoother than yesterday, and from then on as well. You would wake up and eat, Toriel would be cleaning or reading, and you would go outside and play with Flowey. You talked about the minuscule things, like what you ate for breakfast, how you were feeling, and he was always able to tell you the amount of time you spent here. After a while, you would eat supper, read something with Toriel, then sleep once more. Some days you stayed inside and read when it rained, and would explore the ruined house when Toriel went out. She never wanted to bring you with her, but you never really questioned her, since you were still a bit scared of seeing the other monsters.
You practically jumped outside once it stopped raining since Toriel left you alone again. It was too dark to play hide and seek, but you had already asked and answered so many questions, you decide to lay down in the flower bed, knowing he would pop up sooner or later.
He knew your favorite color, your favorite books, and even your favorite meal. You remembered when he asked you what was your best attribute, and if there was anything you'd ever want to change about yourself. That day he learned you were a delinquent, but you couldn't really remember why you never got along with others. You stopped there that day, remembering that you didn't want to remember. It always made you feel skittish.
You felt the presence of the monster next to you, but he says nothing for a while, and relaxes next to you. He must have been bored of doing absolutely nothing, because he broke the silence, asking the first question.
"If you're in a bad mood, would you rather be left alone or have someone cheer you up?" You wondered if he was asking this because of the current situation. Maybe he couldn't read minds as well as you thought. Or maybe he knew you better than you knew yourself…?
"I don't like to worry people, and I don't trust them enough to know my problems." Your straightforward answer put a frown on his face, and it looks like he was going to try to say something to lighten the mood, but you just smile and continue. "Humans have always been so untrustworthy and erratic. Monsters on the other hand… You've been so nice and comforted me along the way. I don't like to worry you, but you've been the only one I've ever trusted enough and wanted to confide in." Flowey looks at you in shock for a second before turning away. You laugh softly, imaging his embarrassed face after the praise he just received. "Too sappy?" You asked him once you realized he wasn't turning around.
"Is that really your follow up question?" You shake your head and chuckle slightly at his embarrassed tone.
"What time is it? Rather, how long has it been?"
"I think we've been sitting out here for a while. An hour almost. Toriel might be home soon. It's been 15 days since you've gotten here." You lay there, staring at the cloudy sky awaiting Flowey's follow-up question. It always became cloudy at night around here. You were never able to see the stars you've read so much about. "Hey, what kind of dreams do you have when you sleep at night?" His question immediately breaks you out of thought, and you ponder over whether or not you should tell him the whole truth. Hell, this is probably the best time out of most anyway.
"I don't really… dream much." You bite your lip, and it looked as if Flowey considered asking another question, but decided to give you a bit more time. You wavered, but continued. "Honestly they're more like nightmares. I hear these whispers in my sleep and some voice telling me to wake up or to leave. Usually I just try to ignore it, but they become so loud sometimes, even if I can't understand them. But they're generally not that bad unless I think of any prior events to being above ground, or um-" You bite your lip once more, and look anywhere but to Flowey.
"What is it?" He began softly. "You can tell me anything." Instead of continuing, you follow up with a question looking him in the eye.
"How did you know my age?" He looked taken aback, not expecting the question, and looks away.
"Like I said, I guessed. You just looked that age-" It wasn't your turn, and you knew you were making Flowey uncomfortable, but you weren't satisfied with the answer. Soft whispers were filling your brain, and you ask another question.
"How did you know my name?" This time he stopped completely. You wait for him to answer, but he doesn't. You get up and begin to walk away, knowing you were being unfair to your friend. The whispers became louder, and you grit your teeth in response, forcing some tears not to fall.
What happened to your patience? Couldn't you wait for your friend to answer you? Your kindness? Did you even think about how this made him feel? Didn't you at least have any perseverance? Why where you giving up now? Couldn't you just be honest to your feelings and tell him how you really felt? No integrity either then, huh?
"Frisk, wait!" Flowey's voice seemed a bit distorted and unrecognizable. Before you even have a chance to consider waiting, you trip from something grabbing your ankle. It was tight and firmly gripping you, and you felt something warm dripping down your skin. You instantly bring your hands and break the vine that is gripping you, only realizing that you were hurting Flowey after he yelled in pain. You look up and see a mirror to your emotions. He showed the same pain, the same guilt, and perhaps even the same fear on his small face.
You stand up but stagger a bit. Once looking down, you see blood running down your foot and on your hands. What kind of friend thought it was just to hurt another friend. But perhaps you were both in the wrong. You turn and run like a coward. Even though you thought you were determined enough to at least apologize, you weren't brave enough to face him.
Jeez, this was almost 3,000 words! I'm unsure why, but I really dislike writing long chapters like this. Probably because there is so much I'm trying to fit in at once. Anyway, sorry it's been 3 chapters and sans hasn't been introduced yet. I promise he'll be in the next chapter!
The fanart for this chapter can be found here- art/Justanothertale-Chpt-3-656741038
Again, if you have any suggestions about the link situation, please let me know. Thanks~